Fresh Air
by ghostlypudding
Summary: TRIGGER WARNING: This story contains mentions of self harm and suicide. Read at your own risk! Everything is going great...everyone is on the surface, Asriel and Chara are back... Is it really that great?
1. Chapter 1

Light streamed into their room as the door opened. Frisk closes their eyes, pretending to be asleep, despite having been awake for about half an hour now. They pretend to groan as Sans shakes them awake.

"C'mon, kiddo...you start school today." He says as he turns on their light. Frisk yawns and sits up.

"Okay.." Frisk says, stretching.

Sans nods and walks out, closing the bedroom door. Frisk sighs and stands up. They open their drawer. They pull out their normal pink-striped sweater and a pair of overalls. They pull on their sweater and some leggings, then the overalls. They walk out their door and downstairs.

Chara was sitting at the table, their head in their hand. Sans sits across from them. He snorts and shoves their arm down.

"Elbows off the table, kid." He snickers. Chara rolls their eyes and puts their head back in their hand. Sans chuckles. Frisk smiles and sits next to Chara.

"Morning, Grumpy," Frisk says, looking at Chara. "Did you sleep well?"

"No," Chara answers almost immediately. "I barely slept, in fact."

"Oookkkayy then.." Frisk says, standing up. They start to make themselves cereal. Asriel walks downstairs, sitting on the other side of Chara and yawning.

"Morning, Azzy," Chara perks up a bit.

"Morning, Chara.."

Chara sighs and leans more into their hand.

-  
The school bus finally pulls up. Chara sighs. Frisk walks on first. Chara follows, taking Asriel's hand. Chara tries to ignore the stares at Asriel and whispering. Chara and Asriel quickly take the seat in front of Frisk. Asriel puts in his headphones, turns up the volume, and looks out the window. Chara sighs. They can't help but pick up a conversation around them.

"Those freaks should've stayed underground."

"Yeah, they belong there."

Chara growls. They turn their head to face the kids(who just so happens to be in the seat across from them).

"Do we have a _problem_?" They snarl, glaring.

"None of your business, weirdo," One of them answers.

"Oh, but it is." Chara's glare worsens. "I've lived with monsters for a very long time. You don't know _anything_ about the hell they were put through."

He laughs loudly. "Oh, please. Why else would monsters be sealed down there if they didn't belong there?"

"Because you humans can't handle change." Chara hisses. "The war only started because humans were afraid of what might happen. That's all you are. A bunch of cowards."

"What was that, pipsqueak?!" The other kid pipes up. "You have quite the nerve."

"Is that so?" Chara grins. "Well-"

Chara is interrupted when Asriel grabs their shoulder.

"Chara!"

They jump and turn around. "Huh?! Oh...uh...sorry.."

They give the kids one last glare before turning forward again. Asriel sighs.

"It's only the first day, Chara..." Asriel sighs. " _Please_ don't make yourself known by being the kid who hurt someone on the first day.."

"Sorry," Chara apologises. "I just can't stand them...they think they can say anything they want, with no consequences."

"I know, it bothers me, too, but violence doesn't solve everything. "

"I know..." Chara leans back. They hate that they had disappointed Asriel. They'd done enough of that.

The bus stops at the front of the school. Chara, Asriel, and Frisk get off after the giant wave of children gets out.

Chara feels nervous as soon as they step into the school. Even though it was absolutely nothing like their first school, they already had bad memories from the surface. Frisk notices and grips their hand reassuringly. Chara lets go when they notice people staring.

Frisk's first class was obnoxiously loud when they walk in. They take an empty seat in the back.

"Hey, you!" Someone calls to them.

Frisk looks to the girl next to them. "..Yeah..?"

"I, uh, saw 'ya with that,goat monster..thing.." She starts. "..Why do you talk with monsters?"

She didn't even seem like a rude person. Just..curious. Curious and ignorant.

"Uh...because we're friends?" Frisk raises an eyebrow.

"Oh..." She pauses. "Just...be careful. Some kids are purposefully attacking monsters and people who hang out with 'em. I think it's stupid. But...I'm kinda afraid to say anything."

"..Oh.." Frisk is shocked. "..Uh..thanks for telling me..?"

-  
Chara's first class is just as loud. They jump as someone taps their shoulder. They whip around to face them.

"What?"

"Hey, freak," He asks, smirking. Chara already didn't like where this was going. "You like monsters, huh?"

Chara narrows their eyes. "You have a problem with that?"

"In fact, I do," He leans a bit closer. "Those weirdos don't belong up here. You're a moron for-"

"No, you're just an ignorant coward." Chara cuts in. "Living underground was _hell_. And all of monsterkind has more kindness in a single finger than in your whole body. So shut up, and mind your own. Damn. Business."

He seems shocked for just a moment before smirking. "How cute. The baby's getting defensive." He suddenly grabs Chara by the collar and pulls them forward. "Listen here and listen good. I'm only warning you once. Say something stupid like that again, and your life'll be a living hell. Got it?"

"Hah. I'm not afraid of you. I've been through worse pain than you can imagine." Chara sneers.

"Sure." He drops them. Chara turns back in their seat, growling. They barely register the teacher walking in.


	2. Chapter 2

Chara plows their way through the giant crowd of kids to find Frisk at a lunch table. They quickly sit down and sigh.

"Asriel doesn't have lunch with us, does he?"

Frisk shakes their head. Someone else sits on the other side of Frisk. Monster Kid. They smile brightly.

"Yo, Frisk! Chara!"

"Heya, MK!" Frisk smiles. "Having a good day?"

"It's been okay," They shrug. "Uh...someone was being pretty mean, but...some other kid stood up for me! Told me monsters were pretty cool."

Frisk pauses. "Oh..uh..did you catch their name..?"

They shake their head. "Nope..." They open their lunch bag and pull out a sandwich, all with their mouth. Impressive. Frisk smiles.

Chara simply watches. They blink a few times before turning to their own lunch bag and pulling out a bar of chocolate. They quickly unwrap it and take a bite. Frisk looks to them and snorts.

"You can't live on chocolate alone, Chara," Frisk raises an eyebrow at Chara.

"Watch me." Chara responds as they take a larger bite of chocolate. Frisk snickers and takes out their own food. And a note from Toriel. Yep. Toriel still put notes in their lunches. Chara pulls out their own.

 _Have a great day, Chara! I love you very much._  
 _-Toriel_

Chara smiles. They really enjoyed the positive words from Toriel, cheesy or not.

Chara's good mood is rudely interrupted when someone walks past and shoves their chest into the table. Chara coughs, startled. They immediately turn to face who did it.

"Hey, watch it!" They shout, more out of habit than anything. They were nearly out of earshot. They turn around, smirking. Chara sneers. It was the kid from the bus. Without another look to Chara, he keeps walking.

Chara grumbles and turns back. They mutter something under their breath. Frisk frowns.

"Wow. Rude."

"Yeah, really?" Chara snorts, taking another bite of chocolate.

Chara had their next class with Asriel. Thank God. They quickly sit down in the back and wait for him to come in. Asriel shuffles in a few minutes later. He quickly takes a seat next to Chara. He seemed a little...on edge. Chara frowns.

"You, uh, doing okay..?"

Asriel nods and doesn't even look over.

"I'm not stupid, Asriel," Chara frowns. "What's bothering you?"

"It's nothing.." Asriel reassures them, shaking his head.

Chara's not convinced. " _Asriel._ What happened."

"...Well..." Asriel starts, quietly. "This one kid...he...was being really mean. He...said monsters didn't belong here. And..he shoved me...and..he said some mean things about you too."

Chara has to force their jaw closed. "..What did he say..?"

"Uh...if..if I remember correctly, he said something along the lines of...'and tell your freak friend to...'" Asriel gulps and lowers his voice. "'Go back to hell where it came from.'"

Chara is most definitely _not_ happy. "...See if you can track him down next class."

"But, Chara-"

" _Track him down,"_ Chara repeats. "I'm going to give that jackass a piece of my mind."

Before Asriel can refuse, the teacher walks in. Asriel sighs and turns to face her.

Chara barely pays attention during 's spiel. It was the standard first-day stuff. Plus a name game. Chara hated name games. They were forced to talk to someone they barely knew. Someone who can and probably would judge them.

"Alright," started. "So you can all know each other, I'm going to have you all write down your name and something interesting about yourself on a card. Then, you'll find someone you don't know and introduce yourself. You'll trade cards, and read them to the class when you take your seats again."

passes out colorful notecards. Chara sighs and writes _Chara Dreemurr_ at the top.

 _Something interesting about myself?_ Chara thinks to themselves. _Uh, I killed people I care for..? Nuh-uh. I hate humanity? Nope._

Chara settles with "My entire family isn't blood-related to me." Well, it was true. People immediately scramble to find someone. Asriel finds another monster kid in the room. A pasty white redhead approaches Chara.

"Uh, do you...?"

"Sure.." Chara sighs.

"What's your name?" She begins. "I'm Alexandra. Or Alex. Or Xander. I don't really care."

Chara was already fed up with this perky girl. "Uh..I'm Chara. Only call me Chara."

"Okay.." Alex shifts awkwardly. "So, my interesting thing was that I lived in Japan for two years!"

"..Okay.." Chara shifts in their seat. "I, uh, my entire family has no blood-relation to me."

"..Oh," Alex seems..disappointed?

 _What, am I not good enough for you? Real shocker._ Chara thinks.

Well. They accidentally said it out loud.

"..Excuse me?" Alex looks..really offended. "No need to get defensive!"

"What?" Chara sneers. "I'm _sorry_ I hadn't led a life quite as exciting as yours."

Alex crosses her arms. She puts her card on Chara's desk and takes the notecard from Chara's hands. She stomps back to her desk.

"What a brat," Chara snorts.

Chara and Asriel are walking down the hallway to their next class when Asriel suddenly grabs Chara's shoulder.

"Chara.." He starts. "..I see him...the kid who-"

Chara cuts him off. "What?!" They knew what he meant. Asriel shakily points. It was the same kid who hsd harassed them on the bus. They growl and run up to him.

"Hey!"

He immediately stops talking to his friends and turns to face Chara. He cocks an eyebrow.

"Uh...wha-"

Chara grabs the sides of his shirt with both hands and slams him into the wall. Despite him being twice their size. They're determined as hell.

"You think you're funny?!" They snarl. "You think you can walk around and mess with anyone you want?!"

He seems a bit..shocked...but keeps his composure (Chara can only assume that it's because his friends are around). "What the hell are talking about, freak?"

Chara narrows their eyes and tightens their grip. "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about, idiot. That was my _brother_ you harassed earlier. And...hah...if you think I should go to hell..." Chara grins,and their corneas turn black.. "Y o u ' e."

Chara's about to straight-up punch him when Asriel shouts at them. "Chara!"

Chara's eyes immediately turn back to normal, and their grip loosens. This gives their victim's cohorts to pull Chara off him and shove them away.

"Big ego for such a small _girl_ ," One of them snarls.

Chara narrows their eyes, but keeps their mouth shut. They may look calm, but they've killed every single one of them in their head at least twice.

"Stay away, or you'll regret it," Another guy threatens.

Asriel took Chara's shoulder and turns them away. "C'mon, Chara, they're not worth our time."

Chara complies (they didn't want to disappoint Asriel again),but glares at the laughing group of idiots as they walk away.


	3. Chapter 3

Chara keeps their gaze fixed on the floor as they walk onto the bus. A ton of people had seen them attack the boy earlier. And a lot of people were talking about them. Turns out the kid they had assaulted was really popular among the school. For what reason, Chara had no idea. Even still, the word got around quickly. The weirdo with red eyes attacked Danny Lin, and they should be avoided or attacked at all costs.

 _Nice going, Chara. You've been here for a day and you've already become a moving target for harassment._

Chara quickly scoots into a seat. Near the window. Asriel shuffles in next to them. Frisk was already on, a few seats behind Chara and Asriel.

As soon as Danny walks past their seat, Chara freezes.

 _Ohgodohnohesgonnahurtmeohgodpleaseno..._

...He walked by without even glancing at them. Chara feels really stupid for letting their anxiety get the best of them.

It immediately returns when someone in front of them turns to talk to them. Asriel takes Chara's hand to comfort them.

"So, you're the kid that picked a fight with Danny," She smirks. "You must be a real moron."

Chara growls. "Oh, look who's talking! I was only defending my friend."

"Let me guess," She snorts. "It's fluffball over here. You really think it's worth protecting?"

"Worth more than you are!" Chra snaps back. "God, you humans are such assholes."

"You're human too, hypocrite," She says, raising an eyebrow. She pauses. "Actually...hah..no. You couldn't possibly be human. You're from _hell_. A dem-"

"Quit it!" Asriel snaps. "Chara didn't do anything to you! Leave them alone!"

"Aw, did I upset yo-"

Chara punches her. In the jaw. Hard. Absolutely done. With everything. "Shove off!"

She looks...shocked. She snarls and turns back, stretching her jaw.

As soon as they get home, Chara flops on the couch, exhausted and irritated. Asriel walks in after them, sighing. Frisk sits near Chara.

"I'm really sorry about what happened, Chara.." Frisk says with a frown. "I wish I could do something to help you.."

Chara laughs, humorless. "Hah...don't worry about it,Frisk."

Frisk was too pure for this world. Like an angel. They cared so much...after everything...they still cared.

"Of course I'll worry about it!" Frisk exclaims. "My friends matter a lot to me, Chara. I'll...I'll figure something out."

"...Friend..?" Chara repeats. "...You think I'm...a friend?"

"Of course I do," Frisk wraps their arms around Chara in a loose hug.

Chara pauses before hugging back. It felt...nice. They were new to positive physical contact. Frisk's arms were warm and forgiving. Chara had never realized how much they needed this...they start to hug tighter and sink their head into Frisk's shoulder. And they start to cry. All the stress from that day was finally getting to them.

Asriel seems to take the hint and walks to his room. Frisk embraces Chara tighter, smiling.

"T...Thank you, Frisk..." Chara mutters, more tears falling.

"Of course, Chara.." Frisk smiles wider.

By the time Chara lets go, The back of Frisk's sweater is soaked in tears. Chara sniffles and wipes their eyes.

"Uh...Sorry.."

"It's okay," Frisk says, shaking their head. "Do you me to get you anything..?"

Chara shakes their head. "No..I'm...I'm okay."

Frisk nods and slowly stands. They walk to the kitchen.

Chara had never felt this way. Frisk was so warm, so loving..and they smelled so nice. Chara didn't deserve someone like Frisk...someone so caring..so amazing...so perfect.

They were so awful in comparison. They had done nothing but lash out at people their whole life. They'd hurt everyone who cared for them...they'd failed everyone.

But Frisk...? They had freed everyone from the underground. They were so kind to everyone..even Chara, despite all they'd done. They brought Asriel back. Perfection. Chara was filth compared to Frisk.

Chara leans back, feeling like crying again. Frisk walks back in, holding two steaming mugs. Chara smiles slightly. Frisk hands one to Chara and sits next to them.

"Made us some tea." Frisk smiles.

"Thanks.." Chara nods gratefully. They take a sip. Unmistakable- Golden Flower tea. Frisk smiles and takes a sip themselves.

"Sorry if it's too weak..haven't made tea in a while.." Frisk apologises.

"No, No, It's okay.." Chara reassures Frisk as they take another sip.

Frisk smiles. Chara feels so great while Frisk is with them...they seem to give off..an aura. An aura of positivity. A magnet that draws in sunlight and turns it into kindness.

Chara takes this time to realize how stunningly _gorgeous_ Frisk is. That ever-permanent, true, smile. Their eyes that always seemed to be sparkling. Their light and delicate frame.

Chara also takes in their own features. Awkward size, short, pale as a ghost...they were inferior to Frisk, even in that light. Everything about Frisk was just. Perfection.

Why would someone so perfect waste their time on someone like Chara...?


	4. Chapter 4

Frisk shifts as their door opens and Sans walks in.

"Morning, Frisk," He flips on their light.

Frisk sits up and stretches. "Mornin', Sans.."

Sans nods, waves, and walks out to let Frisk get ready. They stand up and go to the bathroom to shower.

When they finish their shower and dry off, they throw on clothes and grab their bag. A white collared shirt and black pants. And a cute little bowtie.

Chara is half asleep and sitting at the table. Toriel had already left. Sans was sitting on the couch. Frisk yawns and starts making themselves food. Chara looks to them. They gasp a little upon seeing how _absolutely adorable_ Frisk is.

Frisk turns their head and notices Chara's slight blush. They smirk and snicker slightly.

"What?" They ask slyly.

"Nothing!" Chara snaps out of it.

"You think I look _cute_ , don't you?" Frisk smirks.

"Wha-" Chara starts. They're cut off when Sans teleports into the seat right next to Chara. They jump and almost fall out of their seat.

"Who's cute now?" Sans asks, snickering.

"What?! No one!" They narrow their eyes, blushing harder.

Oh, Sans doesn't ship it. That's a given.

"No one was the correct answer." He says, almost threateningly. Okay...Threateningly.

"Sans!" Frisk scolds.

Sans simply shrugs and teleports back onto the couch.

Chara grumbles. "...I hate him..."

Asriel raises an eyebrow as he walks in. "Who?"

Chara jumps. "No one.."

The bus pulls up, and it immediately makes Chara anxious. They don't know how badly the situation has escalated. They don't know how badly they'll be treated. Frisk sighs and takes their hand and squeezes. Asriel takes their hand, too. Frisk lets go and walks on. Asriel keeps holding Chara's hand and hesitantly walks on. It was just as suspected. People were laughing and shouting at Chara when they noticed them. Chara bites their lip, and their breathing gets heavier. Asriel walks faster and sits down. Chara fiddles with their locket for comfort, looking down.

"Hey, Freak!" Chara hears someone shout. They don't respond. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Chara bites their lip harder and shakes their head. They cross their arms and tense up slightly.

"...No. S-Shut up.." Chara responds, rather weakly.

"What're you afraid of?" The person in the seat beside them taunts.

"I...I said...shut up..!" Chara shouts, a little more confident.

"Huh," She smirks. "You seemed a lot more confident when you attacked Danny."

"Leave them alone!" Asriel snaps.

"Why should I?"

Asriel narrows his eyes. "They never hurt you. They don't deserve this!"

"Hah!" She laughs. Chara feels sick. "Are you kidding? Of course she deserves it! She's a _demon_."

Asriel is NOT happy. She didn't just insult Chara, she misgendered them. It seemed purposeful, too. "No, they aren't! They haven't done anything to you!"

Chara feels like crying. They look down again and curl up slightly.

"So what if 'they' haven't done anything? That spawn from hell doesn't belong here. Neither do you."

"Hey!" Frisk pipes up. "Leave. Them. Alone. You have no right or reason to do this!"

Chara holds back a sob.

She ignores Frisk entirely, instead turning to Chara. "Aw, is the _pipsqueak_ upset?"

"...Shut up.." Chara says, angrily, but softly.

"What was tha-" She's cut off as Asriel fires a star bullet next to her head.

"Shut up!" Asriel growls.

She smirks. "Haha...fine, then." She turns back.

Asriel turns to Chara. "...You okay?"

Chara holds back another sob and shakes their head. They felt so weak. Helpless.

 _This shouldn't bother you. You're weak. You always were..._

Chara snaps out of it when Asriel wraps his arms around them in a hug. "It'll be okay.."

Chara can't help it anymore. A light stream of tears falls down their face, and they hug Asriel back. They barely pay attention to the people shouting around them.

"I-I'm sorry...I-I...I.." Chara starts. They keep stammering apologies.

Asriel shakes his head and hugs tighter. "It's okay.."

Chara sinks their head into his shoulder. More people are shouting. Laughing. They hate it. Their breathing gets heavier, and they start to cough.

 _Oh god..._

They're having a panic attack. They let go and start to cough more violently. They can't breathe, they can't see...they cry harder. The tears feel thicker.

They don't realize what it is until the taste of buttercups hits their tounge. Sickly black liquid pours from their mouth and eyes. People around them are _screaming_ now.

"They really are a demon!"

"Freak!"

"Get it away!"

Chara curls up and cries harder. They can't stop, they can't stop...

Asriel hugs them again. "C-Chara..! It's alright...I'm here...you're alright..."

Chara tries to calm down. Distract themselves. It's just so hard to stop..

Someone carefully walks down the aisle towards Chara. The driver's assistant. She leans down next to Chara. Chara jumps and looks up. Her eyes widen.

"...Uh...C..Chara...is it..?" She asks.

"I'msorryI'msorrydon'thurtme.." Chara curls up. In their panicked state, they went to their immediate reaction of apologizing when a human adult approached them.

"..Whatever makes you think that..?" She frowns. Chara yelps when she gently reaches her hand towards them. "..You'll be alright..calm down.."

This was only making Chara feel worse. They shake their head, coughing harder. More blavk tears run down their face, more liquid dripping from their mouth.

"Just-Just calm down..."

The bus stops. Chara can feel everyone staring at them.

"Give them some space!" Frisk shouts. No one listens. "Hey!" They shout again, more demanding this time. People start to sit back down or get off the bus. Asriel stays, keeping a hand on Chara's shoulder.

It takes at least five minutes for Chara to calm down. By that point, their clothes are a complete mess. They look like they got drenched in oil. The adult takes Chara's hand and leads them to the office. Asriel is told to walk in alone.

When Chara gets to the office, they're told to sit and wait. The adult speaks with the principal for a few minutes before inviting Chara in as she walks out.

Chara tentatively sits at the desk in front of the Principal.

"Chara Dreemurr, right?" She asks.

"Y..Yes, sir." Chara responds.

"Whatever this prank of yours was...it is unacceptable," She says.

"I...I'm s-sorry, ma'am, but I...I...It wasn't a prank..." Chara whimpers, looking down and wringing their hands.

"I'll let you off with a warning and send you home.." She sighs, pretty much ignoring all of what Chara said.

"...Y..Yes, ma'am," Chara bites their lip.


	5. Chapter 5

"Chara, I can't believe you.." Toriel scolds as she drives back home.

"Ma, I'm telling you!" Chara insists. "It wasn't a prank! I...I d-don't know _what_ it is, but I can't help it!"

"How do you expect me to believe that?" Toriel frowns.

"...I..F..Frisk can back me up on it! Frisk would never lie to you!"

"...Only if I hear it from Frisk," Toriel sighs. "But until then, I'm assuming it was intentional."

Toriel drops Chara off in front of the house. "I have to get back to work..just go inside and clean yourself up."

Chara sighs and gets out. They walk inside and lock the door behind them.

"What'd you do?" A voice says from behind them. Chara jumps and whirls around. It's just Sans.

"...None of your concern, Trashbag," Chara growls and starts to shove past him.

"Nope, Tori told me to talk it over with ya," He grabs their shoulder.

Chara snarls. "I said it's none of your business! I'm already in a bad mood, leave me alone."

He doesn't let go. "Kid, just tell me what happened."

"No!" Chara refused again.

"Come _on_ ,brat," Sans repeats, annoyed.

Chara snarls. "Fine. If it'll get you to shut up."

"Guess it's storytime, then," He teleports them both on the couch. He's literally _that_ lazy. "First off, why does it look like you got thrown in oil?"

"...I had a panic attack.." They mumble.

"...You. _You_ had a panic attack." Sans raises a non-existent eyebrow.

"..Yeah."

"Uh...why?"

"...Humans are assholes." Chara says simply.

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"Shut up.." Chara sneers slightly.

"That still doesn't explain the black stains." Sans crosses his arms.

"You've seen it," Chara shifts. "Where, uh, black...liquid pours from my eyes and mouth...?"

"Oh, that."

"Yeah..."

"And this got you in trouble how?" Sans asks.

"The principal thought it was a prank.." Chara says with a sigh.

"Uh-Huh." Sans nods and leans back. "...What exactly did the kids say to make ya break down like that?"

"...Why do you care?" Chara scowls.

"Dunno," Sans replies with a shrug. "Just curious as to what would make a murderer have a panic attack."

Chara sneers. "You don't get to know." They stand and walk to their room before Sans can even respond.

Sans chuckles and leans back.

Chara flops on their bed, agitated. They get ready to shower and walk to the bathroom.

When Frisk and Asriel get back home, Chara's sitting on the couch and drinking tea.

Frisk sits next to them. "You...doing okay, Chara..?"

"Better.." Chara sighs.

"I'm really sorry...I...I wish I could've done something.." Frisk looks down. "Those kids had no right to do what they did to you..."

"Don't be sorry.." Chara shakes their head. "I...I deserved it, anyway...hah.."

Frisk frowns. "Chara, no you didn't. You don't deserve to be treated poorly. You deserve happiness, like everyone else."

"...But why would...why would _I_ deserve happiness..?" Chara looks down. "...I...I haven't done anything to deserve it."

"Chara," Frisk takes their hand. "Everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone is worthy of happiness. Even you."

Chara suddenly looks up and glares at Frisk. They rip their hand away. "No! You don't understand! I'm...I'm a _demon_ , Frisk! I'll just hurt you...Leave me alone...I..I don't...I don't..."

Chara holds back tears. They won't cry. Not again. Not now, in front of Frisk.

Frisk pulls Chara into a hug. "No. Chara. _No._ You are worthy. I care about you. Asriel cares about you. Please, just...let me help.."

Chara bites their lip. They wouldn't cry, they wouldn't cry...

They cry. Normal tears.

Asriel sits down and joins the hug.

Chara cries harder. They know they shouldn't be. They need to be strong...they have to smile..

Chara starts to laugh. Loudly.

Frisk frowns. "...Chara...?"

Chara keeps laughing. Tears only fall faster...but they can't stop, they have to be happy...for everyone...

Frisk hugs tighter. "Shhh-Shhh, Chara-Chara, please..."

Chara can't stop laughing..they won't stop...

The laughter escalates into loud sobs. Chara hugs Frisk tightly, gathering their sweater in their hands.

"I...I'm s-sorry...I'm sorry..." Chara apologizes in between sobs.

"Shh.." Frisk rubs their back.

Chara's sobs get softer, and they lean their head on Frisk's shoulder.

-  
Toriel walks into Chara's room the next morning. She kneels down next to their bed and shakes them awake.

"Chara..?"

Chara groans and rolls over. They open their eyes.

"Sans explained what happened..." Toriel sighs. "Do you think you'll be able to go to school today..?"

Chara sighs and nods. "But...will you be able to take me..?"

Toriel nods slowly. "Of course.."

"Thanks.." Chara says, sitting up and stretching.

Toriel stands and walks out of their room.

Chara sighs, staring at themselves in the mirror across from their bed (which they still thought was really bad placement). They hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in weeks. And all the stress from school wasn't helping. They felt nore tired than ever. And sleep deprivation wouldn't make their anxiety any better.

Chara sighs again and climbs out of bed. They pull on a pair of leggings, a pair of shorts, and their usual green and yellow striped sweater. They quickly run a brush through their hair. They take a last check in the mirror before grabbing their backpack and walking downstairs.

It was one of those rare days wete Toriel would be home all day, so she made breakfast for them. Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie-Toriel's classic.

When Chara arrived downstairs, Frisk was already halfway done with theirs. Sans was sitting next to Toriel and cracking jokes. Toriel laughed at all of them. Chara sighs and sits down.

"Morning, Chara," Frisk smiles brightly.

"Morning.." Chara yawns.

"Are you..feeling better?" They ask, concern in their voice.

"I'm...better.." Chara shrugs, taking a bite of pie.

"That's good to hear." Frisk smiles.

Chara sighs and slowly keeps eating. They yawn, even more exhausted than usual.


	6. Chapter 6

"Thanks, mom," Chara smiles slightly at Toriel as they arrive at the front of the school.

"Of course, my child," Toriel smiles back. "Have a good day!"

Chara smiles and nods. They climb out of the car, throwing their backpack over their shoulder.

They watch Toriel start to drive away, then turn around and take a deep breath. They shake their head and walk inside the school. The first thing that catches their eye is the large group of kids surrounding..something.

They push past the crowd of people. They gasp when they see it.

Danny had Asriel pinned against a wall. Asriel looked absolutely terrified, and already had a bruise on his right cheek. Chara growls and shoves their way in. They immediately shove Danny away.

"What do you think you're doing?!" They snarl.

"Oh, if it isn't the demonic little pipsqueak, back again," Danny smirks. He gathers the front of their shirt in a fist and slams them against the wall.

"Chara!" Asriel gasps.

Chara growls and tries to struggle free from his grasp.

Danny's smirk only widens. "Hah...this is why you don't try to fight with the big kids."

Suddenly, someone yanks him backwards, causing him to let go of Chara.

Frisk.

"Hey!" Frisk crosses their arms. "Leave them alone!"

"What's with you _freaks_?" He sneers.

Chara stands up. They run and punch him in the stomach as hard as they can. He hadn't expected that. He gasps and stumbles backward.

But he reacts almost immediately. He grabs their shirt collar again and pins them to a wall. He punches them in the jaw.

Chara winces. "Asriel..! Frisk! Go!"

"I..I can't leave you!" Asriel refuses.

"It's a fight, I'm not going to war!" They shout as Danny tightens his grip. "Just go!"

Asriel hesitantly nods and takes off, taking Frisk's hand and running with them before they can refuse.

Chara takes a deep breath. Danny smirks and punches them in the chest. Chara winces and coughs.

"You really thought you could try and fight me, freak?" He laughs humorlessly. He punches them in the jaw before they can respond.

Chara glares murderously at him. "You messed with my friends. I won't let that slide."

They hesitantly reach into their back pocket. They pull out a small switchblade and flip it open. They don't even hesistate before stabbing it into his arm. He cries out and lets go of Chara. Chara yanks the blade out and falls to the floor.

He acts almost immediately, pinning them to the ground with a foot. "Hah...it'll-" He winces. "It'll take more than that to stop me.."

His arm was bleeding profusely, but he seemed more focused on Chara. He kicks them in the chin before moving his foot to their arm. He applies pressure. Chara winces.

"Ngh-" Chara grits their teeth. "You...You think this is _funny_? What do you have against monsters, huh?"

"They don't _belong_ up here," Danny replies, grinding his foot on their arm, clearly trying to break bone. "And _you_ don't even belong on this Earth.."

Chara bites the inside of their cheek to tolerate the pain. "Hah..you're one t-to talk...you humans disgust me. The world would be so much better without you.."

Danny stops trying to break their arm and lifts them up by their shirt collar, so he's eye level with them. "So it's true. You really _are_ a demon. You hate humanity...for no real reason, huh?"

"Oh, there's a reason." Chara growls. They stab his other arm, cutting deeper than before. "Too bad you don't get to hear it."

He immediately drops them. Chara closes the blade and shoves it back in their pocket. They run off.

Chara doesn't stop running until they make it to an empty hallway. They crouch down in a corner and catch their breath.

"I'm so stupid," Chara mentally punches themselves. "Why did I think I could fight him? I would probably be an inch from death if I hadn't stabbed him.."

They shift positions. What were they supposed to do? If they went near anyone else, they'd be attacked or harassed. But they'd be found eventually if they stayed here..

They'd just have to call Toriel to take them home. Again.

They sigh. They'd wait until everyone had gone to class before going to the office.

Once Chara is certain the halls will be empty, they stand up hesitantly and start walking.

They pause when they reach the bathroom. A familiar face in a pink-striped sweater is standing in front of the mirror.

"...Frisk?"


	7. Chapter 7

**"...Frisk...?"**

Frisk gasps and whirls to face Chara.

"Chara..?" They ask, their voice shaky.

"What's going on..?" Chara frowns. Their eyes dart to the large bruise on Frisk's jaw. "Oh my god...what happened?"

"N-Nothing!" Frisk leans back into the sink counter and Chara takes a step forward. "..Nothing.."

"Frisk...what happened..?" Chara frowns, gently turning Frisk's head so they could see the bruise better.

"...I..." Frisk starts, looking down. "After you left, someone c-cornered me while I was alone...and..she hurt me..."

"...Oh my god..." Chara's so overwhelmed. They feel so angry, and so upset, and they feel like everything's falling apart, despite everything...

"..Chara..?" Frisk's voice snaps Chara out of their trance.

And that's when Chara realized they were crying. In front of Frisk. Again.

"..I'm s-sorry.." Chara sniffles.

Frisk shakes their head. "Don't worry about it, Chara.."

"I...I s-shouldn't be crying.." Chara shakes their head. "I've...b-been through worse than this.."

"Which is exactly why you have the right to cry..." Frisk hugs Chara tightly. "You're sensitive to this, I get it..."

Chara sighs and slowly hugs back. "I..I know.." They sniffle. "But..I want to..I have to stay happy for you guys.."

Frisk shakes their head. "Chara, you don't have to 'stay happy'. It's okay. You're stressed and upset, I understand. I'm sure school wasn't good for you when you were younger. I don't expect you to adjust to this easily.."

Chara's tears get thicker. They didn't really _want_ to think about their life on the sirface before they fell.

"Chara..I appreciate that you want to stay strong.." Frisk starts, rubbing Chara's back. "But you can't bottle up your emotions. That's one of the worst things you can do..."

Chara sighs shakily and nods. Frisk hugs them tighter and keeps hugging for a few moments. Then they let go, smiling at Chara.

"You sure you're okay...?" Chara asks.

Frisk smiles and nods. "Now..we're really late. Think you can make it to class?"

Chara pauses. "...I...I can manage."

Frisk nods and hugs them one more time. They rush off to getto their own class. Chara takes a deep breath. They wipe their eyes and re-adjust their bag.

 _I know I said I was gonna call to go home, but...I'll do this for Frisk._

They take another deep breaty and go to their class.

Twenty minutes. They were twenty minutes late. Luckily, seeing as it was only the second day, Chara was able to get away with the "lost" excuse.

They could feel nearly every pair of eyes in the room staring at them. They feel their hands start to shake under the desk. They take a few more deep breaths and reassure themselves.

 _You'll be okay...no one will hurt you, not now...it's not like it was before._

They manage to stay decently calm for another twenty minutes. And their anxiety springs up again with something the teacher says.

"We'll be starting our first-quarter group projects."

They can feel themselves immediately tense up and start shaking up. Group projects meant they had to interact with other people. People they didn't know. People that had most likely been there this morning.

And she would be picking the groups.

Chara sat there nervously. They watched her read off of her premade list. Luckily, their group wasn't called last. They didn't have to wait for long.

They ended up paired with these two girls who were...perky. Really. Perky.

They both approached their desk. And they both had a bouncy little saunter. Chara wouldn't mind it if they hadn't been so dramatic with it. One of them had wavy red locks and very pale skin. The other had a lighter brown skin and obnoxiously long black hair.

"You're Chara, right?" The redhead asked. Chara simply nods in response. "Sooo...aren't you that girl who, uh, stood up to Danny?"

"...Not a girl..." They mumble.

"Oh, oh my god, sorry! The _boy_ who-"

"Not a boy either.." Their anxiety was melting into unreasonable anger.

"..Uh, what?" The other girl asked.

"Not a boy, not a girl," Chara explained, annoyed. "A person."

"...Uh.." They both give each other the _look_. Chara didn't care. People always made that face when they tried to explain what nonbinary is.

"Anyway.." The redhead states. "I'm Seth, and this is-"

"Logan," She cuts in. "I'm Logan."

Chara nods slowly.

"Are you even listening?" Seth crossrd her arms. Something told Chara this girl liked starting conflict.

"Yeah, just don't want to look at you," Chara rolls their eyes.

"Well, you don't have to be rude about it."

"Well, judging by everything that's been going on, that's how things work around here," Chara sneers, their anger and annoyance growing.

"Hey, you can't just-" Seth starts.

"Seth, calm down, she's-"

" _They._ "Chara interrupts.

"They, whatever," Logan continues. "She's going through a lot, give her a break-"

" _THEY,_ please!" Chara cuts in again.

"Okay, okay," Logan holds her hands up in defense.

"Please pay attention!" calls over the class.

Logan and Seth snap their attention back to the front of the room. Chara shifts in their seat.

 _Something tells me I'm not going to like working with these two.._

"I hope you're all familiar with each other now," She continues. "This project will last for the next four weeks."

Chara groans internally. They were _not_ looking forward to this.


	8. Chapter 8

Chara slumps into their seat at the lunch table next to Asriel.  
"Something wrong, Chara?" Asriel frowns.  
"Nothing..." They sigh, tapping their fingers on the table.

"Sure doesn't seem like it.." He frowns. "If there's something wrong, you can tell me."

"..I'm just..annoyed," They don't even look at him. "I was assigned this group project with two really, really annoying girls."

"...Oh," Asriel sighs. "That sucks...I don't know anyone in most of my classes...it's even worse because I'm the only monster.."

"..Yeah," Chara nods. "..You guys don't deserve the way humans have been treating you..."

"I just don't get it," Asriel grumbles. "We're living, breathing creatures! We have feelings...and families...and complex lives, just like everyone else!"

Asriel plops his head on his arms. Chara had never seen him yell before...he had always been so kind about everything.

"..I want people to see that...but I don't know how," Chara sighs heavily. "It's not like I can help Frisk with ambassador stuff..I'd get too anxious. Besides...it's not like anyone would accept what I say."

"That's because monsters aren't supposed to be here," Someone From from the table behind them decides to cut in. "They should be back underground."

Chara growls and whirls to face them. "You don't know shit about monsters. You don't know how long they've had to _suffer_ to get up here, so buzz off."

"I can interrupt if I want," She huffs snottily. "And suffer? Come on! Don't tell me you _actually care_ for those freaks!"

"Hey,cut it out!" Someone near her shouts. "Leave them alone."

She huffs. "Fine."

Chara snarls and turns back. "Asshole..."

Asriel sighs sadly. "I just..don't get it..."

"Hm..?"

"Why are they so mean to monsters..?" Asriel puts his head in his hand. "We didn't do anything.."

"I don't know..." Chara shakes their head. "Humans...they're just awful. They can't accept any sort of change..."

Asriel sighs heavily. "But...notall of them can be that bad, right?"

"Most of them are..." Chara shakes their head. "Frisk and maybe a few others are okay...that's about it."

"C'mon...there had to be some more good humans out there!" Asriel demands. "I'm sure..."

"Maybe." Chara stands up. Lunch was over.

-  
 **Tbh I hate timeskipping in the middle** **of Chapters but I have to sorry**  
-

Chara's last class was absolutely boring and just as irritating as the last. They could hear all the conversations about them. They could feel every stare burn into them as they worked. They absolutely hated it. They just wanted to be in peace and have the normal life they never got to have. Was that so bad? Apparently the universe was just against them.

There was this burning thought that was always in the back of their head telling them that deserved it.

"Hey," Someone whispered to Chara while they were working. "It's, uh, Charlie,right?"

"Chara," They mumble,not looking up.

"..Uh, yeah," He shrugs. "Anyway, I think it was actually pretty brave of ya' to stand up to Danny. He's...kind of an asshole,ha."

"No, really?" Chara rolls their eyes. "Leave me alone now, thanks."

"Jeez, just complimenting you.." He huffs and turns away.

Chara wondered if this day could be any longer.


	9. Chapter 9

"Chara Dreemurr, please report to the Principal's office."

Those are the words heard over the intercom no more than ten minutes into class.

They could hear the inevitable "ooohhh" from the class. They could feel themself start to shake as they stand in front of the silent class, watching with judging eyes.

Chara walks out as quickly as possible, nearly holding their breath. This couldn't be anything good. It had to be about what they did that morning.

They try not to think about what was about to come as they walked to the office. They shakily open the door. The lady at the front desk looks up.

"Are you Chara?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Y..Yes, ma'am," They shuffle awkwardly.

"In there." She points to an office near the desk.

Chara nods and hesitantly walks in. They're greeted with multiple unhappy faces. The principal. Danny. Danny's parents. Toriel.

They sit down in an empty chair, their heart racing and their hands shaking.

"Do you understand how your actions have effected everyone here? You-"

The principal is cut off by Danny's mother. "We could press legal charges against you! You ought to be put in jail for this!"

Chara tenses and starts wringing their hands. "I'm s-sorry, ma'am...I-I..."

"This is what happens when someone lives with nothing but monsters, huh? No civilization whatsoever!"

"Pardon me?" Toriel crosses her arms. "Monsters appear to have more civilization than you!"

"Everyone, please calm down," The Principal looks up at Chara. "Chara looks very startled. Chara, we are only taking the measures we are required to take by law. On any normal circumstance, you would be expelled. But, I have discussed the issue with your mother, and she says you have not been to public school in a very long time."

Chara nods slowly.

"So,we will be suspending you for four days." She shifts her position in the chair.

"Y-Yes, ma'am." Chara nods stiffly.

"What?!" Danny's mother exclaims. "She stabbed Danny!"

Chara wasn't in the mood to correct her.

"Yes, but Toriel has said she will keep track of what Chara is carrying and doing."

Toriel nods.

The Principal sighs. "You will have to take Chara home now, Toriel. Their suspension begins tomorrow. Thank you."

"Of course," Toriel walks to Chara and takes their hand. She walks out the door.

"It's only the third day, Chara..." Toriel sighs as she walks out the school door into the parking lot.

"I..I know.." Chara looks away. "I knew this was a bad idea..I'm sorry..I..I need to try harder to be a good person..I don't want to burden you too much..."

It was already hard enough for them. Toriel's teaching job didn't make much money, and that's all they could live off of. Sans had been trying harder to get a job, seeing how little they had. But it was hard for monsters to get safe and well-paying jobs. Sans's attitude towards working didn't help much. Papyrus tried his hardest to get a job as well, but..he wasn't skilled enough. Not to mention a monster.

Chara didn't want to make Toriel feel worse. They just wanted their family to be happy. They wanted themself to be happy. Was that so much to ask?

They didn't realize they were crying. Again. They hated it. They wanted to be happy for everyone. They didn't want to stress anyone else further.

"Sweetheart..." Toriel reassures them, pulling up at their house.

Their cheap, small, broken-down house.

"Listen. You are not a burden. We love you very much..you just have to make better decisions."

Chara takes a shaky breath. "I..I know..I want to...I really do...I don't know how...what's wrong with me..."

Toriel unbuckles her seatbelt and hugs Chara tightly. "I know you can. Now go in, rest. Collect yourself. Okay..?"

Chara sniffles and nods, climbing out of the car. They take a deep breath and unlock the door, then walk in slowly. They lock the door behind them, looking down. They knew Sans was probably down there and waiting for them. They weren't in any mood to talk with him. So they start to walk upstairs.

"Hey, stay down here," Sans calls to them from the couch as he sits up.

Chara sighs. "Can we have this conversation later?" They groan.

"Nope," Sans answers bluntly. "You attacked someone in school, kid. I don't think that's a 'for later' topic."


	10. Chapter 10

It was a long and frustrating conversation. This was the exact reason Chara hated talking to Sans.

"So.." Sans began. "Why'd you do it?"

"Because he was being an asshole," They shrug. "There wasn't much logic in there...But I had to defend myself somehow."

"Yeah, but you can't just go around stabbing people, kid," Sans sighs. "That's what gets us in court. And that's what puts us in more trouble. Maybe what gets us sued."

"Yeah, I know," Chara huffs. "I was thinking, okay?! I know it was a bad decision, I don't need you to lecture me about it!"

Sans sighs, irritated. "Watch the temper, bucko. I just gotta make sure you-"

"I know!" Chara snarls and crosses their arms. "I know, okay?! It was a stupid decision. Just leave me alone...I need to be alone for a while..."

Sans sighs heavily and just stares at them. "Kid. You always tell me you'll change and won't act up again, but it keeps happening."

"Well, I'm more likely to do it if you keep scolding me!" They huff and look away. "I don't need the almighty smiley trashbag to tell me what to do."

He sighs, clearly unamused. "Look. Brat. I get you're not too fond of humankind, but stabbing people is a little extreme. Stand up for yourself, but not like that. I'm sure this Danny guy is some spoiled brat who can lie his way out of anything. Don't think you'd want to really do anything like this to him.."

Chara growls and tucks their knees in. They despised being scolded, most especially by Sans. He thought he knew _everything_ about them. He didn't. He didn't know _anythin_ g. "Well, if he's a spoiled brat, maybe he needs to be put in his place! I'm sick of letting humans push me around.."

Sans sighs and rubs his temples. Or, where they would be if he had flesh. "Chara. Are you even listening? I'm not saying just be quiet and let these people step all over you, I mean just...just don't stab them, huh?"

Chara groans, kicking at the ground like a petulant child throwing a tantrum. "Well, I'm sorry if I still have issues with self control. I don't need a lecture from you. I know it was a mistake."

Sans sighs irritably, and stands up. "Yeah, whatever, kid. Just..maybe think it through?" He stretches his arms and makes his way upstairs, leaving Chara on the couch.

Chara huffs and kicks at the ground again. "I hate him..." They mutter to themself. "He doesn't care about me...just that I don't step out of line. He thinks he controls me! He can't tell me what to do anymore."

They sigh and lean back in the couch. They understood Sans had good intentions, but they just..they hated him. They didn't want to justify anything Sans did.

Chara lays back on the couch. They didn't realize how tired they were until they fell asleep.

Chara wakes up when the door opens and closes. Frisk and Asriel were home. They slowly open their eyes and groan slightly, not getting up from the couch.

"Chara!" Asriel cries, running over and hugging them.

They groggily sit up and hug back. "Azzy..."

"We were worried...you're not in really bad trouble, are you?"

"No.." Chara sighs, yawning. "I am suspended for four days, though...not counting the weekend."

"That's not fair!" Asriel whines. "Danny should have gotten some sort of punishment, too!"

"I know.." Chara shakes their head. "But I'm sure he we asked his way out of it make _me_ seem like the bad guy. Besides, I did kinda stab him, so..."

"He attacked you first!" Asriel huffs, sitting next to Chara on the couch.

"Yeah, but adults are big on the 'no-fighting-back' policy." Chara scoffs. "Apparently Sans is, too. Wouldn't stop chewing me out."

Asriel nods slowly. Frisk sits on the other side of Chara.

"Man...only the third day.." Frisk sighs.

Chara groans. "No, not you too!" The last thing they needed was Frisk to scorn them, too.

"No...I won't scold you..I know you weren't thinking right...I know you won't do it again."

Chara sighs in relief. They wished they weren't so aggressive. This was probably causing a lot of stress on their family...

They hated this. They didn't like too many people being close to them. If they messed up, or did something cowardly or stupid..they'd hurt too many people they cared for. They wish they felt happier with more friends and family..rather than just feeling like a burden.


	11. Chapter 11

Chara had actually slept that night. The previous day had been so exhausting their insomnia seemed to rest for at least a few hours. When they wake up, Frisk and Asriel had already left for school. It was 9:00 AM. How had they slept that long? Usually they were lucky if they got 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

They sit up in bed. The house seemed empty, even though they knew Sans and Papyrus were still here. Or...at least Sans. Papyrus was often out with Undyne or Mettaton. Sans had been out sometimes to try and get a job, but it wasn't often. He was likely home.

Chara swings their legs over their bed and stands up, stretching their arms over their head. They open the door, keeping their hand on the cold doorknob for a moment. They felt weird being practically  
home alone on a Thursday morning. They walk down the stairs, a few boards creaking under their feet. This house was falling apart. Their family deserved so much better than this...

They sigh and walk into the kitchen. They start making themself a cup of tea when they hear moving from the stairs. Sans was awake. They glance up at the worn-out stairs to him. He gives a tired and uninterested wave in return as he makes his way to the kitchen.

"Morning, Chara.." He yawns, starting a pot of coffee for himself.

"Morning..." They mumble, finishing up their tea and sitting at the table.

"Suppose you aren't feeling any better since last night?" He sighs.

"Not really..." They huff.

"Figured as much..." He sits down across from them and takes a sip of coffee. "Y'know...it'd probably help the mood of this house of you weren't so grumpy all the time."

Chara rolls their eyes at him as they take a large sip of tea. "Yuh-huh. Look..." They sigh. "I'll feel better eventually...just stop prodding me about it..."

"Wasn't planning on it," Sans leans back in his chair. "I was just telling 'ya that cheering up a little might do some good."

"Yeah, Yeah, whatever.." Chara crosses their free arm over their chest. They take another sip of tea. Out of all people, Sans was definitely not the first person they wanted to see in the morning. Especially not with the mood they were in the past few days. They wished they didn't have to go to public school again, but there's no way Toriel could afford a private school, and she didn't have time to homeschool them. She was already working multiple jobs to keep the family running.

 _She does so much for us...She deserves so much better._ Chara thinks. _My suspension is probably putting a lot more stress on her.._

Sans must've noticed Chara's sudden drop in expression. "Is...somethin' wrong?"

"It's nothing.." They mumble quietly, avoiding his gaze.

He sighs. "Don't give me the 'it's nothing' crap. I invented the It's Nothing crap."

"Look, I don't need your help, okay?" Chara growls.

Sans rubs his temples. "It's too early for this, kid..." He sighs and walks off to the living room. "Whatever..."

Chara sighs heavily and lays their head in their arms. The last thing they needed right now was Sans prodding them.

They didn't even knkw how this suspension would help in any way. Just less time at school for them. They would still havw to so homework, though...

Chara groans quietly and slams their head on the table.


	12. Chapter 12

Sans didn't leave Chara alone for the whole day. Anytime he saw them leave their room, he would somehow end up right next to them, asking if they were ready to talk about what happened. Chara ignored him every time. They knew they couldn't avoid him forever, though. They wished they could. They didn't want to admit anything to Sans. Besides, what would it do? They didn't have much good reasoning behind what they did. Granted, it was kind of self defense. Not to mention Danny had hurt Asriel. That's enough reasoning, if you're Chara. So..why did Chara find this so hard to explain? They thought Sans would expect more from them. As much as they'd hate to admit it, they just needed to be more than just "tolerated" by Sans. It drove them crazy that all he did was bother Chara and still not trust them. If they would be in the same house as Sans, he would have to at least be decent to them.

Chara finally got fed up by the time they came down to eat in the afternoon. The skeleton teleported directly next to them, asking the exact same question he had all day.

"You ready to talk yet?"

Chara growls, clenching their fists and turning on their heel to directly face Sans. " _Fine_. _Fine!_ " They huff. "I'll tell you, if it means you'll leave me _alone_."

Sans seems surprised that they said yes. "Oh..uh, okay. Spill." He grabbed their hand,teleporting them downstairs and onto the couch. Chara snatches their hand away and scoots to the end of the couch. "So...you stabbed a kid. I don't have any details. Why?"

Chara sighs, glancing to the side. "Well, first off, he's just generally awful. He hurt Asriel, and hurt me when I tried to defend him. I needed to get away somehow. So-"

"So your brain immediately decided, 'hey, let's stab him. I'm sure there won't be consequences!'?" Sans interrupted, raising a non-existent eyebrow.

"I wasn't finished," Chara shot a slight glare at Sans, holding it as they spoke. "I wasn't thinking, and my main focus was getting away. So, well. So I stabbed him."

Chara shrugs a bit. That was really all there was to it. Of course, that wasn't the answer Sans wanted.

"That's it? You just..You just stabbed him," Sans crossed his arms, showing he wasn't convinced.

"Yes!" Chara cries in exasperation. "Didn't you say you would stop prodding me? I know you want me to get better, and I'm really trying! But I can't do that when you don't believe I will! I'm not just gonna change overnight. And I won't just magically be a good person when you _still_ harass me!"

Chara growls, out of breath. They hated Sans, even now. They did have a point, though. If he was snippy with them, they'd be snippy right back. If they kept fighting, Chara may never really change. Sans stared at them in shock for a moment. They hadn't lashed out in a long time. Not since when they were first brought back to life. He sighs heavily.

"Kid..." He puts his head in his hands. "That's much easier said than done.."

"You're a _grown man_ ," Chara snarls. "You should know better, huh?! To just...get over the past and stop being so petty about it?"

"Well, _you_ clearly can't get over the past!" Sans snaps back, looking back up at them. "If you're still using the 'I haven't been to public school in a while' excuse! You still have a grudge against humanity. It's been _years_ , Chara!"

This set Chara over the edge. They stand up, clenching their fists and glaring down at Sans. "Are you kidding? If..If your own _family_ , everyone you've ever known..hated you, and showed you absolutely nothing but harm, would you still 'get over it', even after years?! I certainly wouldn't! I tried to _kill myself_ because of humans. And...And you expect me to just..forget about it?"

Sans huffed. He was trying to keep a level head, but with Chara...it was different. He had very little self control when it came to getting angry with them. This child had caused him so much suffering. They've taken everything from him and caused him to want to end his own life multiple times...he seemed to always be angry with them.

"Are you seriously that stubborn?" Sans stood up again, now standing over Chara. "It was a _human_ who gave you your 'second chance'. You hate an entire race, just because you were unfortunate enough to stumble upon the worst of them? Not all humans are bad, Chara. I'm sure you're old enough to understand that."

"Why does this matter so much to you, huh?" Chara snarled. They haven't been this angry at Sans in a very long time. They hated him so much... "My life certainly hasn't seemed to matter to you in the past!"

Chara stays silent for a while, before glaring even more intensely at Sans and staring him straight in the eye. "...You know...I...I don't even regret making you suffer."

Without even a moment's hesitation, Sans grabs Chara's wrist and pulls them up to eye level. Chara growls, pulling away. The skeletal hand just increases it's grip on their wrist.

" _What_ ," The lights had gone out of Sans's eyes completely, his eyes narrowed nearly into slits. "And this whole time I thought you really wanted to change. _t_."

A slight burning sensation comes to Chara's captured wrist. Sans's grip tightens even more as a faint aura of blue magic forms on his hand. Chara winces and tries once again to pull away. Sans pulls them even closer, so that their faces are nearly touching.

"You little brat.." He hissed, his tone far more serious than his usual comedic speech. "I was waiting for this to happen...I knew you would slip up..and reveal what you _really_ want..hah..! I..can't believe I ever had any faith in you.."

Chara sneers, struggling and doing anything to escape Sans's death grip on their burning wrist. The pain got worse and worse by the second, and Chara didn't stop trying to get away. At this rate, Sans would burn their hand off.

All of this is interrupted by the sound of a door opening and shutting. Then a gasp and the sound of something being dropped to the ground.

Toriel was home.


	13. Chapter 13

Sans immediately dropped the writhing human, the light returning to his eyes as he took a step away. Chara hisses slightly as they back away, still on the ground and rubbing their injured wrist.

Tears well in Toriel's eyes. "Sans..I thought you were over this."

"T..Tori, I can explain, I-" Sans starts to apologize, but Toriel shakes her head.

"No, Sans, you can't explain," Toriel slowly approached Chara. "Why would you attack Chara..? They've been through so much already..."

"I'm sorry, but.." Sans trailed off. He couldn't explain what happened or why he hated Chara. How could he..?

"No, Sans," Toriel repeats, picking Chara up in her arms and putting them down on the couch.

Sans sighs and scratches the back of his neck. "...I understand if you're upset.."

Toriel sighs. She ignores Sans and turns to Chara. "Are you alright..? You weren't hurt, were you?"

"Mmph..." Chara sighs, pulling their sleeve down slightly to reveal their burned wrist.

Toriel gasps, gently pulling their sleeve up more. She reveals the rest of the scars covering their arm in the process. Chara winces slightly as the fabric rubs against their skin.

"Oh my goodness.." Toriel gently places her hand on the wound. Chara relaxes a bit as Toriel begins healing it and the pain goes away. The burn wound is still visible, though.

Toriel sighs, carefully pulling Chara's sleeve back down. She stands up and turns to face Sans. She gestures for himto walk to the other room. He walks in like an inmate on death row. And, frankly, he kind of was.

Chara huffed, glancing at the burn on their wrist. Within seconds, muttered yelling can be heard from the other room. Sans was frantically apologizing over Toriel's upset tone. She scolds him for a full thirty seconds before Toriel can be heard crying.

 _I hope he feels awful,_ Chara thought. _I hope he regrets what he just did._

Chara had just sat and sulked for about an hour. Toriel was sitting next to them and rubbing their back to give them comfort. Chara felt sick to their stomach. They had stopped being cross with Sans at least half an hour ago. They were just upset with themself now. They had provoked him, after all. The burn on their wrist still hurt like hell, but Toriel assured them it would feel better later. Her healing magic took time to completely take effect.

There's a sound of a door opening, then closing. Sans must have finally come out of his room.

Chara prays he was just making his way to the kitchen. They didn't want to see him right now.

Guess luck was just never in Chara's favor.

Sans makes his way next to the couch. He looks at Toriel. Something was clearly off with him. His demeanor seemed even more happy-go-lucky and strange than usual.

He was drunk.

"H...Hey Tori.." He starts, clearly straining to sound sober. "Can I speak with the kid..for a little..?"

Toriel narrows her eyes slightly, but nods. She kisses Chara's cheek before standing up and walking to the other room.

Sans flops down on the couch next to Chara. His breath smelled heavily of alcohol, which made memories burn in the back of Chara's mind. They didn't want him around. In fact, Sans _knew_ they didn't want him around.

"..You're drunk," Chara shakes their head and scoots are far to the end of the couch as they can. "You know I hate talking to you when you're drunk..."

"I..am not-" Sans was interrupted by a hiccup. "I'm not drunk...Just..Mmm..tired.."

His words slurred together, to where his speech was barely comprehensible.

"Uh-huh," Chara shakes their head and stands up. "No way in hell am I sticking around."

They began to walk away, but Sans grabs the back of their shirt. "W..Wait..!" He hiccups again. "I'm not..I'm not done.."

Chara pulls away, of which they were easily able to. "I don't care! Leave me alone!"

Sans stands up and shakes his head drowsily. "No..! N...No..I...Kid..I'm-" Sans hiccups yet again, falling back into the couch. "I'm s..sorry..."

Chara narrows their eyes at him. "...No you aren't. I'm sure you're /happy/ you found a loophole to attack me. I mess up _once_ and you think I'm going right backto my old ways!"

"Hey!" Sans points to them, then immediately drops his hand. Alcohol made him weak physically as well. In fact, his body could barely take alcohol, at least not real, human alcohol. Monsters hadn't had very hard or intense liquor, since they only had access to so much.

"I'm not h..happy about it.." Sans continued. "..I...I just thought you...ddeeserrved it.." Sans's speech slurred further. Chara groans.

" _Deserved i_ t?" Chara sneers in disgust. "All I said was _one comment._ You're a grown man! Shouldn't you know better?"

"One comment that revealed w..what you truly want..!" Sans exclaimed. He was acting so _stupid._

"Are you kidding?" Chara scoffs, taking a few steps back so they could clear their head from the scent of alcohol. "It was an accident! I only said It because I was upset!"

"Oh...f-fucking _hell!"_ Sans spits, angry now.

Chara was about to respond before the sound of a door clicking interrupts. Their eyes immediately dart to the door, where Frisk and Asriel walk in. They had completely forgotten they would be home from school now.

"...C..Chara..?" Asriel asks weakly. He smiles at them. Chara's eyes widen.

Both Frisk and Asriel were covered in cuts and bruises.


	14. Chapter 14

Chara's eyes widen, and they rush to Frisk and Asriel.

"M..Mom..?" They call shakily. Toriel walks in from the other room. She immediately runs to the children.

"Oh my goodness..!" She gently takes Frisk's chin in her hand to investigate the bruises. "W..What happened?!"

"Uh.." Frisk bites the inside of their lip. "I..c...can't say.."

"Uh..B..Bullies!" Asriel cuts in quickly, sounding a bit nervous. "S...Someone attacked us a..at school.."

Chara growls. "W h a t? Oh...when I get back there, I swear I'll-"

"Chara!" Toriel scolds them. "I do _no_ t need you getting suspended again. Or expelled!"

"But-!"

" _No,_ " Toriel repeats. "I can take this into my own hands...do you know who attacked you..?"

Frisk and Asriel look at each other nervously.

"N..No.." Frisk shakes their head. "We didn't..."

"It...wasn't that child that Chara...attacked, was it?"

"No..." Asriel shakes his head. "Uh..d..different people.."

Toriel sighs. "Did..anyone see..?"

"..Well..n..no," Frisk looks to the side. "It..was p-people from school, but it...wasn't at school.."

"It was..uh..a..a while back..n..near the bus stop." Asriel adds.

Chara was _pissed._ Without any warning, they bolt off to the front door and rush outside. They run as fast as they can-they'd learned to run for a very long time while they first lived in the surface. They don't stop until they hear laughing near an alley by the bus stop. They lived in a pretty bad part of town, so Chara wasn't surprised that it happened here. The bus stop was a long way from home, too.

"That was our best run yet, huh?" A voice snickered from the alley.

"Definitely. That little monster whimp couldn't even speak!"

Chara felt like they recognized the voice somehow. They couldn't quite put a finger on it, but they felt something tugging them away from the voice.

"And how the freak kid was just _begging!"_ Another voice laughed.

" _Please, please stop it!_ " The familiar voice mocked, bursting into laughter.

Chara takes a few steps forward, hoping to stay out of sight of the group.

"Too bad that other kid wasn't with them."

"Yeah, isn't she, uh, your daughter or something, Andrew?"

 _Andrew_.

The name immediately clicked with the voice. Chara freezes.

 _Andrew Price. Their father. Their real father._

"Yeah.." Andrew sighed. "If I cared enough I'd go after the demon myself, but...I don't care enough to have to track it down."

 _It._ Chara felt sick to their stomach. That same night kept replaying in their mind, over and over. All they could see was their father holding a gun to their head, screaming about how much of a failure they were.

Chara turns around and runs off before they start panicking in the middle of the street. They ignore the shouts from the group in the alley as they see Chara run off. They just want to get back home.

They run directly into Toriel, who had run off looking for them.

"Chara..!" She sighs in relief, picking them up in their arms. "I was so worried. Why did you-" She lauded upon noticing how much Chara was trembling. "...what's wrong, dear..?"

Chara doesn't respond. They just cling to Toriel, trying desperately to push the mortifying memories down again.

Toriel frowns and starts carryingthem back home. Chara only endsup thinking more about what they heard. Their father was alive, and he knew that they were alive. What if he decided that he did care and went after them..? What if he hurttheir family?

Chara barely registers that they were crying. Toriel rubs their back as she carries them home.

Sans was lying on the couch when they arrived home, clearly still drunk. He was crying and laughing hysterically. Toriel would have to scold him for this too. They were poor as it was, the last thing they needed was for Sans to waste money on alcohol.

Toriel sighs and carries Chara to the room they shared with Asriel and Frisk. Toriel lets them go, and Chara immediately hugs Asriel. Asriel gasps a little.

"C..Chara?" He hugs them tightly. "What happened?! Where did you go?"

"T..That doesn't matter.." Chara shakes their head, crying into his sweater. Asriel nods in understanding. Chara slowly lets go of Asriel after a while. They then reach their arms towards Frisk, making little grabby hands to indicate they want them. Frisk nods. They stand and sit next to Chara, hugging them tightly. As much as Chara loved hugs from Asriel, they loved Frisk's hugs just a little more. They were just a little tighter and a little warmer and a little longer. Frisk was just as huggable as Asriel, just not as fluffy. They were soft and warm, and they didn't let go until Chara asked them to. Frisk gives Chara a brief kiss on the forehead.

"You're okay, Chara.." Frisk reassured them.

Frisk was too good for Chara. Chara was breaking down over something trivial, and here Frisk was, still injured. Yet they were comforting _Chara_ rather than taking care of their own needs. Chara didn't deserve someone like Frisk. Hell, they didn't deserve Asriel either. The truth was, Chara thought they didn't deserve any kindness. Despite every reassurance from their family that they were worth it, they just couldn't bring themself to believe it.

Chara cries harder, hugging Frisk tightly. They loved Frisk, but they were almost certain Frisk only loved them platonically. They didn't want to be rejected if they told Frisk how they felt.

"I love you..." Chara managed to whisper. "I...I'll f..find w...who attacked you..and I...I-I.."

Frisk strokes Chara's hair, shaking their head slowly. "No...don't. It's okay. You'll make it worse.."

Chara sobs again, trembling. They were just so terrified. They wanted to keep their family safe. They were all Chara had. If they got hurt...Chara could never forgive themself. They'd rather go back to living with their mother and father than let their family be hurt.

They were terrified.


	15. Chapter 15

Frisk could hear the yelling from upstairs. They hated when Toriel was upset. They didn't understand why Sans had been acting so strangely lately. He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol in a month, and now he had gotten so drunk he could barely stand. What was going on..? They tried to listen in, but they could only pick up bits and pieces of the argument.

"You said you would stop!"

"I...I know...look-"

"I don't want to hear excuses! We're low on money as it is! And now you're spending the very little money we have so you can get _drunk."_

Frisk shook their head and inhaled shakily. They couldn't stand it. Everything had been so stressful. They wanted to help, but what could they do?

"Do you just...just never learn?" Toriel's voice cracks. "Not only are you attacking Chara again...you're drinking again...and honestly..? It scares me. I thought you were getting better, but..."

Frisk covers their ears, unable to listen anymore. Chara had long since been asleep. After their breakdown, they practically passed out. Asriel was cuddled up next to them. Frisk sighs and lays down on their bed, staring at Chara. They were adorable when they were sleeping...  
Frisk felt their face blush as they watched Chara's chest ride and fall. They purse their lips and turn around. This was the first time Frisk had realized they genuinely loved Chara. And it wasn't just...friendly.

Frisk woke up early, as they usually do. Chara and Asriel were still sleeping. Frisk sighs,scratching the back of their neck. They stand up, stretching their arms. They look over at Chara again, feeling their face flush. They look away and quickly pull out a change of clothes. They quietly walk to the bathroom to change. As they did so, all they could think about was Chara. Why hadn't they noticed this before? Did Chara feel the same..? Unlikely. If Chara had feelings for anyone, it would most likely be Asriel...  
Even still, Frisk couldn't deny their feelings. How would they tell Chara, though..?  
Frisk shakes their head and quickly finishes getting dressed. They didn't need to think about this right now. They glance at themself in the mirror, sighing softly. There were still a few faint bruises on their face. In all honesty, they were terrified to go to school again. They didn't want it to happen again.  
Great. That's exactly what they needed. More stress. Frisk shakes their head and walks out of the bathroom, making their way down the stairs. They purposefully skip over the stair that creaked every time they stepped on it. They hated that sound.  
Frisk makes their way to the kitchen, just as they hear footsteps in the hallway upstairs. Someone was up. They glance up at the stairs, seeing Chara up and moving. They didn't have to be, but Chara was usually up this early anyway. No doubt Asriel was up and getting ready too. Chara was still wearing their pajamas, which was normally out of their comfort zone. They had worn a short sleeved shirt to bed, which revealed the myriad of scars and marks of past injuries on their arms. Frisk waves happily, and Chara smiles back. Chara makes their way downstairs, quickly arriving next to Frisk.  
"Did you sleep well?" Frisk asks with a smile.  
"Yeah.." Chara nods. They pull a mug from a cabinet and start boiling water to make tea. "What about you?"  
"I slept pretty well," Frisk nods and sits down at the table.  
Chara smiles. Their ruby red eyes shining in the early morning light. "That's good."  
Frisk had never taken a lot of time to take in Chara's physical features. They were gorgeous, really. Their hair was a rat's nest right now, but it still managed to look amazing in Frisk's eyes. The soft waves, although tangled, looked so soft and smooth and nice. Frisk had always loved Chara's eyes. Even though Chara hated them, Frisk loved their uniqueness and brilliance. Chara had a soft and round face, almost like a young child's. The other human absolutely adored the freckles covering Chara's face. Chara was just overall..beautiful.  
"...You're really beautiful, you know that..?" Frisk hadn't meant to say that. It just slipped out. They feel their face flush, and they look to the side.  
"Oh..!" Chara sounds surprised. Their face turns equally as red. "Ahah...! T..thanks..."  
Frisk smiles wider, looking nervously to the side. Chara finishes making their tea and sits down next to Frisk. Their face was still flushed. Chara takes a small sip of their tea. They felt a sudden urge...they wanted to kiss Frisk. Really, really badly. Chara had no idea where it came from. But it grew by the second. They shift in their chair, staring at the wall. They try to get the thought out of their head, but to no avail.  
"...Fuck it."  
Without hesitation, Chara reaches over, takes Frisk's face in their hands, and kisses them on the lips. Frisk's eyes widen in surprise, but they slowly lean into the kiss. They let their eyes close slowly. Chara doesn't pull away. They don't want to.  
Their moment is very rudely interrupted when someone enters.  
Sans had teleported downstairs.  
"Um!" He gasps and takes a step backwards in surprise.  
Chara's eyes widen and they quickly pull away. They make as much space between themself and Frisk as possible.  
"...What the hell..." Sans was breathless. His right eye was glowing a slight blue. Blink and you'd miss it.  
"Uh!" Chara turns bright red.  
"Care to explain?" Sans asked, still in shock.  
"Um..." Chara looks away. "Um?"  
Sans narrowed his eyes, clearly judging Chara and only Chara. He must've thought Chara had forced Frisk to kiss them or something.  
"..I don't want to see that again," Sans sneered, not even minding to watch his temper. He was usually calmer around Frisk, but this seemed to set him over the edge.  
"Mmm, well you don't always get what you want, do you?" Chara turned to face him  
"Hey-!" Sans started. He's interrupted by a voice behind him.  
"..Chara?"  
Asriel was downstairs. He had seen the kiss as well.  
Chara blushes harder. "I! Uh!"  
Frisk jumps to their feet as they glance at the time. "Oh! Um...Asriel..! We have to go..w..wouldn't wanna be late! Haha."  
Asriel blinks a few times before realizing that Frisk just wanted to get away. He nods and follows them out of the door.  
Chara was left alone to explain their actions to Sans.


	16. Chapter 16

Sans crosses his arms. Chara bites their lip, desperately searching for an explanation.  
"..What the the _hell_ was that?" Sans asked accusingly. "Are you trying to trick them into being your mindslave again or something?"  
Chara growls. "What?! No! I..wasn't thinking, okay?"  
"When are you ever?" Sans snarled. "That's always your excuse. 'I wasn't thinking'! Maybe if you started thinking before you acted, these things wouldn't happen."  
"Just shut up!" Chara yells, exasperated. "I don't need your input. You don't _fucking_ control my decisions!"  
"But what if you make the _wrong_ decision?" Sans takes a step closer to them. "What _if?_ "  
"Then that's my own damn fault. I don't need your supervision." Chara stands up amd starts to walk off, but Sans grabs their arm.  
"Well I don't want Frisk to get involved in your mistakes!" Chara tries to pull away from him, but Sans tightens his grip.  
"Jesu t, it was just one kiss! You don't need to get so protective over them!" Chara finally yanks their arm free and quickly rushes upstairs.

Asriel was quick to get on the bus as it pulled up. Frisk assumed it was because they got attacked near the very spot. Frisk follows him and sits next to him, leaning their head against the back of the seat. Rumors were still being spread about Chara's suspension. Frisk despised it. Oh, how they wished it would stop. They wished they could take the people they cared for away from all this...all this stress and sadness. Especially Chara. Chara deserved a second chance, and it was being ruined. Frisk was so irritated that they couldn't do anything.  
"Hey!" Someone shouts behind them. Frisk winces and doesn't answer. They didn't shut up.  
"Hey! Is it true? That your demon friend killed itself after stabbing Danny? Huh?"  
Frisk clenched their fists. " _No._ Just shut up about it. Leave me alone."  
"Why should I?" The kid taunted. "You don't have your freak to defend you, now do you? If it didn't kill itself, what happened?"  
 _It._  
Frisk was disgusted. They said something they hadn't uttered in years. "...I hate you..."  
The kid seemed shocked. Unsure what to say, they shut up and look away.  
"..I...I wish Chara was here.." Asriel sighs, his voice shaking as he speaks. "I..I can tell how upset they've been lately...and I just want to comfort them and hold them...I want them to know everything's gonna be okay. But I can't.."  
Asriel whimpered slightly. He wanted to take Chara away from this sadness just as much as Frisk did. Chara deserved so much more..

The bus pulled up at the school after what seemed like decades. Asriel and Frisk walk off. People shoulder their way past the two as they walk by, nearly shoving Asriel to the ground a few times. Frisk sighs and looks at the ground as they walked into the school. Frisk waves a small goodbye as they disappear down the hall to their first class. Asriel kept his head down as he walked. Having his sibling around kept the usual spring in his step. But he didn't have them today. As he walks, Asriel bumps right into someone.  
He stumbled backwards, just barely keeping his balance. He looks up to who he'd ran into.  
Danny.  
It seemed like a cliche scence in a terrible 90's high school movie. Only this time it was real.  
"Well..!" Danny grinned down at Asriel, towering over him. "Look who it is!"  
Asriel took a step back, feeling his heart start to beat faster. "Ah...ahaha...I...I'm sorry..um.."  
Danny grins and steps towards him. "Oh...hehehe..! And you don't have your little hellspawn to protect you~!"  
Asriel swallows nervously. He takes a few more steps back, nearly falling over. Danny grabs his wrist tightly and pulls him up to eye level.  
"Guess we oughta start where we left off, huh?"

-  
Tensions between Sans and Chara were even higher than usual. Sans was extremely suspicious of Chara and Frisk's kiss. Chara was incredibly embarrassed and angry. Sans wasn't supposed to see that. No one was. It was a split-second decision. Sans shouldn't even be worried. He didn't have a right to suspect anything he did. He thought they were trying to win Frisk over or something. He even accused them of forcing Frisk to kiss them. They were furious. Even more so than usual.

Asriel didn't show up to his second class with Frisk. Frisk frowns as class starts. They sit there nervously. They didn't really care that they were distracted. Their language arts teacher was mind numbingly boring. Not to mention they had read Call of The Wild front to cover at least three times before they had even fallen underground. As soon as Mr. Sanders dismissed the class, Frisk was already out the door. They rush into the crowding hallway. They have to shove through the dense crowd of kids to get away.  
They rush to the opposite hallway, that was already clearing out. Not many people even took the classes here, and one of the classrooms was empty. Frisk shoves open the door to the empty classroom. The school has planned a teacher to relocate here for years, but the opportunity never came up. They slide their hand on the wall to look for a light switch. They turn on the light. If Asriel was anywhere, he'd probably be here. For what reason, they didn't know.  
"A...Asriel?" Frisk calls.  
No answer.  
They quickly start looking everywhere they can. Under desks, in cabinets, in corners. They were about to give up when they hear a soft voice come from behind them.  
"..Frisk...?"


	17. Chapter 17

Frisk gasps and whirls around. They see slight movement in the corner of a dark room behind them. Their eyes widen, and they walk towards the voice. Asriel was leaning against the wall. Frisk searches for the light switch and turns on the light. They kneel down next to him. Asriel looked awful. He was bruised up even worse than the day before...  
"Asriel!" Frisk gasps, alarmed. "W...Who did this..?"  
"I...c-can't.." Asriel started. Tears were falling down his cheeks. He was clearly in a lot of pain. "I can't t-tell you..! They...they threatened me...t...they threatened you..! They threatened Chara!" Asriel began to hyperventilate. His tears became thicker, and he curls into his knees.  
"Asriel..j..just calm down.." Frisk places a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's okay...you're okay now.."  
Asriel whines and squirms. "...I wanna go home..."  
Frisk nods. "Okay...let's go call the office and tell them you need to go home."  
"No!" Asriel begged. "No...I don't have an excuse for why I'm like this...can't I just call mom and ask her to get me..?"  
"..No.." Frisk shakes their head. "She'd have to sign you out in the office, anyway...um.." Frisk sighs, unsure what to do now.  
Asriel sniffles and sobs quietly. "I...Guess I can either brave it or..hide out until the end of the day..?"  
"Hiding out sounds like th best option...since someone would notice and you'd probably be sent to the office, anyway. You can stay here...keep your phone with you and text me if you need me."  
Asriel nods and smiles gratefully. Frisk squeezes sure s hand reassuringly and stands back up. They slowly walk out. They shut off the main light, but keep the light on to the side room Asriel was in.

Asriel managed to stay in the room all day. Frisk had brought him his stuff during lunch, so he ate in there. Frisk rushed immediately to get Asriel before the bus would leave. He had rested long enough and was ready to walk, so Frisk didn't have to carry him. They both went as fast as they could to the bus. They hurried into a seat. They were as far away from Danny's usual seat as possible. Asriel looked out the window and fidgeted with his hands nervously. Frisk takes his hand gently and squeezes it. He smiled shakily at them and inhales slowly.  
Instead of getting off last like Asriel and Frisk usually would, Asriel shoved Frisk forward to get off the bus as soon as possible. He was anxious. He had every right to be.

Chara was upstairs when Asriel and Frisk got home. They race down the stairs as soon as they hear the door close.  
"Azzy?" They ask, sounding alarmed. "Where were you? Mom said she got an email that you didn't show up to any of your classes...and you didn't answer your phone, and-" Chara pauses when they notice how bruised up Asriel was...again. "..W...What happened?!"  
Asriel bites his lip. "I...U-Uh..." He looks away. "Danny.." He whispers.  
" _W h a t._ " Chara was furious. "Oh...when I get my hands on-"  
"Chara, please don't!" Asriel's eyes widened in fear. "I...wasn't s-supposed to tell anyone..if I did..he..s-said..."  
"Well he won't say anything again as soon as I get to him!" Chara cracks their knuckles. "This is the last straw. Mess wirh me, sure...but mess with my _family..._ " They laugh, their time humorless. "..He's never going to mess with me or the people I care about _again._ "  
"Chara!" Asriel cries. "No..h..he threatened me..and...and Frisk..and..you..besides..you know you can't take him on..I wouldn't want you to be hurt because of me.."  
"But he-!" Chara starts.  
"He has a point.." Frisk interjects. "If you interfere, it could be worse."  
"No, I won't st and idly by and-"  
"Chara!" For the first time since he had been Flowey, Asriel was genuinely angry. "..Chara...promise me...you won't go after him.."  
"I..." Chara's locks eye contact with Asriel, and they can see how afraid he is. They sigh."I promise.."  
Asriel smiles.  
"Thank you.."

 **Author's Note:**  
 **Sorry this chapter is so short! It** **was a little rushed. I have ideas and I rushed to them.**


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note:

I hate doing large timeskips, but it's necessary for right now. Unless you wanted fluff writing from the weekend, we'll all have to deal with the timeskip. Also,while re-reading, I noticed that the day Chara was suspended was the second day, and not the third. I'll try and go back and fix it at a later time!

It's Tuesday. Chara had to go back to school. They groan and pull themself out of bed. They stare at themself in the mirror, as they do every morning. Their hair was a mess. The sigh and grab a hairbrush. Chara yawns and they quickly brush their hair. They sneer in disgust as they feel the greasy strands. They needed a shower soon. Asriel stirs in his bed. Frisk must've already been up. Go figure. Asriel gripped the blanket tightly and whined and he turned over. Chara frowns. They walk over and kneel next to the bed.

"Azzy..?" They ask, shaking him softly. He whines and curls up. Chara shakes him again. Asriel jolts awake, breathing heavily.

"Azzy...it's okay.." Chara sits next to him and pulls him into a hug. "It was just a bad dream..."

Asriel shoved them away and backed against the wall. He looked...afraid of them. Chara frowns.

"Asriel..? What's wrong..?"

Asriel started crying into his blanket. "N-No..please..not..again.." He curled into his knees and sobbed.

"Asriel..?" Chara frowns and moves towards him. "It's okay..it's me..."

Asriel shook his head rapidly. He sobbed again. Chara gently takes his hand.

"A...Azzy..it..it was just a dream.." They slowly pull Asriel into a hug again. He struggles for a while, but slowly relaxes into the hug and sobs into Chara's shoulder. Chara smiles weakly. Asriel just sobs for a few minutes. He slowly pulls away and wipes his tears. Chara rubs his back.

"..You wanna talk about it..?" Chara asks softly.

"Sure.." Asriel nods. "Uh...w..well...in the dream...y...you...um.."

"Take your time.." Chara smiles weakly.

"You..k...killed everyone again..?" Asriel whispers.

Chara's eyes widen. "W...What..? Azzy..that...that would never happen..I would never do that.."

They were second guessing themself, though. In all honesty, they were scared of that too. God knows their mental state was fragile enough for them to snap again. Chara shakes their head again.

"I...I know.." Asriel grips the blanket tightly. "But I...the dream just felt so real.."

"You're okay.." Chara rubs his back . Asriel nods slowly.

Once Asriel had calmed down and gotten ready, Chara walked downstairs with him. He was still pretty shaken, but he was well enough to go downstairs. Chara held his hand tightly, per his request.

Frisk looks up at them, frowning upon noticing how jumpy Asriel looked.

"..You okay, Asriel..?" They ask.

"Eh...kinda.." Asriel sighs. "Had a nightmare..Chara helped me though."

Frisk nods. "That's good." Frisk gestures to the toast they had just made for Chara and Asriel. "I was up earlier than usual, so I made us breakfast."

Chara smiles and takes theirs, taking a small bite. "Heh..thanks, Frisk."

Chara sighs slightly as they sit down. They were dreading going back to school. They had to fight through it,though. They didn't want to cause any more problems for their family. Chara would try not to provoke anything, and to go about the day normally.

Asriel seems to notice Chara's change in mood, because he grabs their hand from under the table and squeezes it. Chara smiles softly at him. Frisk glances up at the time and stands.

"You guys are gonna have to eat on the way to the bus, or we'll be late." Frisk pulls their bag over their shoulder. Chara shrugs and takes one last bite before putting it back down. They put on their backpack and follow Frisk out the door. Asriel finishes his food hastily and quickly throws on his bag. He rushed to catch up with Chara and Frisk.

Chara kept their head down as they walked on. They were terrified. They had every right to be. People were staring. Whispering. Shouting. Asriel held Chara's hand tightly.

"Where'd ya go, huh?" A kid shouts at Chara as they sit down. Chara doesn't answer. They just look down.

"I'm talking to you!" The kid repeats. "Where did you go?"

"Leave me alone," Chara mumbles.

"What?"

"I said leave me alone." Chara snarls, louder this time. "...It's none of your business."

"Gosh, aggressive much?" Even still, they leave Chara be.

Chara sighs. They hated this. They'd ruined everything within a week.

Leave it to me to fuck up my life in just a few days... They think bitterly.

Chara was grateful to get off the bus. They rushed off before Frisk and Asriel. Asriel ran after them. Chara sighs as they get through the entrance and slow down for Asriel to catch up.

"You okay, Chara..?" Asriel asks.

Chara just shrugs. "Eh...mostly. I'll be fine."

Asriel and Frisk walked with Chara until they had to go their separate ways. Chara keeps their head down as they walk to their first period. Unfortunately, this causes them to run into someone oh-so familiar. Of course.

"Oh, you're back!" Danny towered over them, grinning. "And all of us thought you'd decided to kill yourself!"

Chara growls and takes a step away from him. "Get away. I'm sick of you.."

Danny grins. "I warned you a long time ago. If you didn't get off my back your life would be hell."

"Just leave me alone!" Chara takes another step back.

Danny takes a step forward. He grabs their wrists, quick as lightning, and pins Chara against a wall. Chara struggles, but his grip was tight. He had grabbed exactly the part of Chara's wrist that Sans had burned a few days before. Their heart skips a beat.

"I know exactly who you are," Danny leaned in close. His breath smelled heavily of cigarettes. "I know your name. I know your father. We're...quite close, actually. "

Chara's eyes widen. That couldn't be possible. If that were true...Danny had access to extremely sensitive information about them. He knew their weak points and what they were afraid of.

"I know what you did," Danny sneers, his face inches away from Chara's. "Chaela Josephine Price." He hissed the name. "I know who you killed." He laughed dryly. "All those years ago..? That was my brother. I was six years old. You fucking took him from me."

"Well maybe if he didn't make my life insufferable!" Chara spits. They weren't thinking straight. They were overwhelmed with emotion and anxiety, and they reacted with anger. "..I'm so terribly sorry for your loss, but I was...so sick of everything..." The reality of the situation was finally starting to sink in. Danny was extremely dangerous. He could send Chara's father after them if he really wanted. Chara decides to stop trying to act tough and they keep their mouth shut.

"That's not an excuse!" Danny punches the wall next to their head. Chara flinches. "I don't care what he did to you..." He laughs, no humor in his tone. "..You know, I promised myself that when I found you, I'd kill you...but..I think it'd be much more fun to make your life hell and watch you suffer."

Chara's heartbeat quickens. This is why they didn't want to go to public school again. They had no choice, though. Toriel was never home to homeschool them. And that would take time away from Sans even attempting to get a job if he taught them. They'd just have to fight through it...right?


	19. Chapter 19

Chara was jittery. Even more so than usual. They kept looking over their shoulder to make sure they were safe. On top of all that, their wrist now burned even more. Not even Toriel's magic could completely heal third degree burns. They were too preoccupied with the throbbing pain in their wrist and Danny's threats to pay attention in class. That is, until Seth and Logan came up to them and Seth tapped their desk.  
Chara jumps and looks up.

"Oh!" They clear their throat. "..Hi.."

"You're back..?" Logan asked. "Frisk kept you caught up on what we're doing for the project, right..?"

"Mhmm..." Chara nods slowly,fidgeting with their pencil underneath their desk.

"That's good," Seth nods. "Um...since you're supposed to work on the presentation..."

Chara sighs and nods slowly. "Yeah...I'll grab a computer." They stand up. Chara is careful to check their surroundings before beginning to walk. They were extremely paranoid. Their heart was racing. Danny had a huge influence over the entire student body. He could have gotten literally anyone to go after them. Chara shakes the thought away. That was ridiculous. They shouldn't be paranoid. They grab one of the class laptops and walk back to their desk. Seth and Logan had already gone back to work on the other half of the project. Chara sighs and takes a deep breath to try and focus. What had happened that morning wasn't important right now. They're about to get to work when someone taps their shoulder. They jump and glance over.

"Someone told me to give this to you," The person whispers, passing them a folded up note. Luckily, the teacher wasn't in the room at the moment. Before Chara had reply, they're walking away. Chara's hands tremble as they open the note. They were immediately suspicious. One of Danny's cohorts could've written this. It could've been a threat. They quickly read it.

 _Chara,_

 _I saw what happened to you today. And I don't think you deserve it. We've never talked. But I'm someone who's looking out for you._

 _Watching your back,_

 _SC_

Chara frowns. What..? Who could've seen? Who cared this much about them? Their immediate thought that it was Asriel trying to make them feel better or something. But why would he do that? Chara shakes their head and pockets the note. They go back to working on the presentation.

Chara rushed to sit down during lunch. They were still paranoid. Frisk frowns, noticing how fidgety they looked.

"You okay, Chara..?" Frisk questions.

Chara sighs and shakes their head. "..No.."

"Why not?"

"Uhm..." Chara sighs shakily. "Well...when..you and Azzy both went off to class this morning..uh...Danny..h..he caught me and he...well...this is gonna need some explaining.."

Frisk looks shocked. "He...he what?"

"Uh...so..b..before I fell..I.." Chara looks to the side, whispering their next words. "I..k-killed a human...turns out...h..he was Danny's brother..."

"How does...he know that it's you..?" Frisk frowns.

"..He knows my father," Chara's voice cracks. "My..r..real father."

"Oh my god..." Frisk gasps, covering their mouth. "..Did..Danny threaten you..?"

"Yes," Chara nods. They're trying to hold back their tears. They hated crying so often. "..I...I'll be..fine. I'm just..shaken up is all."

"Chara, this isn't fine!" Frisk shouts in exasperation. "You could get really hurt..shouldn't we tell someone?"

"No!" Chara shouts. "...No...it's no use. The adults here _love_ him. He can get his way when it comes to them. I mean, come on. I got suspended and he got off Scott-free for attacking me! He tried to break my arm!"

"Chara...we can't just let this be," Frisk shakes their head. "We have to do _something_!"

"Frisk, I'm going to be fine!" Chara insists. "Please, just leave it alone. I'm..sure it'll blow over, anyway."

Frisk sighs. "..Fine. But only for a little. If it gets too bad I'm going to help you."

Chara nods slowly. They felt extremely nauseated and anxious. They wouldn't tell Frisk that, though. They didn't want Frisk to be too worried about them. They'd done enough of that. Frisk didn't have to waste their time on Chara. Besides, they could handle it.

Chara wished Asriel was there.  
He would help. He would always help. He would be there to hug them and tell them everything would be okay. That they would figure it all out. Chara loved Frisk, they really did, but they needed Asriel. They were much closer to him. They needed him right now.

Author's Note:  
Sorry for the short chapter! And I'm sorry for updating so slowly lately! I haven't had a lot of motivation to write. I promise I have plenty of angst and Charisk gay for you guys!


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:**  
 **Fresh Air** **has received it's first piece** **of fanart! I'm really** **happy it's gotten this popular. (Art is photo on top). Art by lizardchips on Instagram,** **oesgcaroline** **here!** **Also! If You** **ever see typos or grammar mistakes in my story, please** **point them out so I can fix them!**

-  
Asriel had come on late to the bus. Chara had to sit and wait for him, their anxiety spiking as they sat down. They start fidgeting with their locket. Chara stated directly in front of them to avoid eye contact with anyone else. Suddenly, they were shoved against the bus wall, their head slamming into the window. Chara gasps in surprise, looking to see their attacker. Danny, of course. He grinned at them as he walks to the back of the bus. Chara shudders. They rub the side of their head that had hit the window. Asriel finally walks into the bus. He quickly takes a seat next to Chara. He frowns, immediately noticing how tense Chara was.

"Chara..are..you okay..?" Asriel tips his head to the side. Chara just shakes their head.

"What's wrong..?" Asriel takes their hand gently.

"Well..t..this morning.." Chara starts. They glance to the seats near them, just in case Danny was listening. "..I...I ran into Danny. He...he's going after me. Much...worse than usual. And I...I..I-I'm afraid.."

Asriel quickly pulls them into a warm hug. "Shh..C..Chara...that's awful..but..you...you'll be okay. I'm sure we'll figure it out."

Chara accepted the hug. They were extremely grateful for it. They relax in his arms. Chara blocks out the world around them. Asriel was all that mattered right now. That was, until Chara opened their eyes for just a moment and caught sight of Danny staring at them from the back of the bus. Chara clenches their eyes shut and hugs Asriel tighter. They hated being afraid. They felt so weak. They didn't want to live in fear anymore.

Chara made up their mind.

They were going to kill Danny Lin.

Chara immediately goes to their room once they get home. They didn't need to deal with anyone else right now. Besides, they needed to come up with a plan. How would they even go about it..? They could just get him alone and stab him up front..but that was too dangerous. Maybe they could make it seem like suicide..? No. They could poison him.

Yeah. That would work. Poison.

Asriel knocks on their door a few hours later. "Chara..? You feeling Okay? You should come down for dinner."

"Mmph..?" Chara sits up in bed. "Oh..um..I'll be fine. I...I kinda just feel like being alone right now.."

"You should at least eat something.." Asriel frowns. "I can bring something up.."

Chara shakes their head. "No, no..I'm not hungry, anyway.."

"No, Chara.." Asriel huffs. "You don't have to go downstairs, but I'm getting you food and you're eating it. Period."

Chara sighs. "I...Guess there's no arguing with you then.  
Whatever."

"I'll be back in a minute," Asriel walks away from the door.

Chara slides down the wall, sighing heavily. They really didn't feel like eating right now. Not to mention eating more than they were used to made them feel even worse now. Growing up, Chara was taught that they should never, ever eat more than they deserve. They had learned how to cope with unhealthy amounts of nutrition. Chara knew how bad this was for them, but they didn't care. Especially not now, when it was difficult enough to feed everyone in the house.

Asriel comes back a few minutes later. He knocks on Chara's door. Chara begrudgingly opens it. Asriel smiles at them, handing them a plate of food.

A full plate of food.

Chara shuts the door behind them. They set the plate on their bed and sit down. Chara stares at the food like an enemy. The thing with Chara's eating habits was that they either ate virtually nothing, or anything they could get their hands on. Chara just stares at their food for a long while. They eventually give in. Within ten minutes, Chara had eaten all they could. They hadn't even noticed until they were finished. They took a few seconds to realize what was going on. Chara starts panicking. They had eaten more than they deserved. They curl up in their knees, panting heavily. They knew that they wouldn't get in trouble, but this was their natural reaction. Chara starts sobbing. They hear footsteps from the stairs, but were too panicked to move or lock the door. Asriel slowly creaks open their door.

"..Chara..?" He asks. "Are you okay?"

He gasps when he notices how freaked out they were. Asriel sits next to them on their bed and pulls them into a hug. Chara sobs into his shoulder, shaking. Asriel rubs their back.

"Chara...what's wrong..?"

Chara didn't respond. They didn't know how they'd kill Danny if they could barely deal with their own emotional instability.


	21. Chapter 21

Chara wanted nothing more than to just stay in bed all day. They really had no choice in the matter, though. Asriel had offered to stay with them throughout the night, but Chara declined. Frisk had noticed how on edge they seemed and offered the same. Chara was going to decline them, too, but they just couldn't refuse Frisk. Besides, the thought of Frisk sleeping right beside them was too tantalizing for Chara to resist. They were glad they had accepted. Frisk had fallen asleep quickly, before Chara. They ended up cuddling with Chara as they slept. Chara had fallen asleep much faster than usual with Frisk at their side. They fell asleep to Frisk's steady breathing and heartbeat. When Chara woke up, they were full-body hugging Frisk. They blush and let go of Frisk. Frisk smirks at them as they sit up.

"Good morning," Frisk teased. "You sleep well, partner?"

Chara cleared their throat awkwardly. "U-Um..! Yeah...uh..h..how long have you been up?"

"Oh,a little while," Frisk grinned. "Just didn't want to wake you up."

Chara's face grew redder. They pulled the sheets off and stood.

"Well...aha..!" Chars scratches the back of their neck. "I'm gonna...go get ready..!"

Chara grabbed a change of clothes and rushed to the bathroom. They slid down against the wall, their face bright red by now. They take a deep breath. They felt so stupid. Frisk must've been so embarrassed. How dare they? Chara shakes their head to clear it. They didn't have time for this. Chara quickly throes their clothes on. Theytake a brief look at themself in the mirror. Chata sighs and brushes out their hair. They could still feel Frisk's breathing on their chest. Chara buries their face in their hands. They've never felt more embarrassed in their life. It was stupid, they knew, but Chara felt really, really stupid. Chara stays in the bathroom for a few minutes before finally changing. They walk out of the bathroom, immediately rushing downstairs. They pause at the bottom of the staircase as they pick up a conversation. They could only pick up bits and pieces.

"Look...I don't care if you don't like them.."

"I promised...maybe...hurt you.."

Chara tries to listen closer.

"Have you even been paying attention to how they've been acting lately? They've been on edge and just...a lot different. It's probably something to do with going back to public school. But that's not my point!"

"Frisk," Sans sounded more serious than he had ever been, and that was saying a lot. "Just because they're different now doesn't mean they'll be different later. Besides, knowing Chara, it could just as well be an act. I just-"

"You say 'knowing Chara' as if you know anything about them!" Frisk interrupted, feeling angry now. "Tell me, when have you ever, EVER actually sat down and had a genuine, civilized conversation with Chara? Hm? Maybe they wouldn't hate you so much if you stopped being such an ass to them!"

Frisk holds their breath for a few seconds after their outburst. They look to the side.

"...Sorry," Frisk sighs. "I just...you don't know Chara like I do. They hurt you, and I get that. But if you spend your whole life hating them, they'll never change or be the person you _want_ them to be."

Sans sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "You...really don't get it, do you? I just...can't forgive Chara after everything they've done. You might, but I can't. I just can't."

Frisk crosses their arms. Before they can speak, Chara walks in.

"Um..Frisk, we have to go," Chara scratches the back of their neck awkwardly.

Frisk jumps a little, but nods. "Oh! Yeah!"

Frisk stands up and quickly walks out of the room. Chara was about to leave when they notice that Sans had been glaring at them. Chara looks to to door and starts to walk, but Sans speaks.

"..How much did you hear," His question seemed more like a statement, and he sounded extremely harsh and irritated.

"Uhh.." Chara bites the inside of their lip.

"Tell me," Chara could tell Sans was dead serious.

"Uh...a lot of it..?" Chara looks to l side. "...I don't have time for this right now. I need to go."

Before Sans could respond, Chara bolts out the door. They catch up with Frisk. Frisk looks over to them and frowns.

"What happened..?" Frisk asks.

"Oh, nothing, nothing..." Chara shakes their head. "Sans just had to ask me something.."

"Oh?" Frisk tilts their head. "What was it..?"

"Nothing important.." Chara crosses their arms. Frisk shrugs as they make it to the bus stop. Chara didn't feel ready. They didn't have a plan to kill Danny yet. They'd have to deal with him until they could figure it out. Chara needed to get this over with quickly.

As the bus pulls up, Chara starts to feel sick to their stomach. They were terrified. They had to fight through it, though. They needed to stay strong for their family..for themself. Chara steps on the bus, feeling their hands shaking. In fact, their whole body was probably shaking. Chara quickly stumbles into a seat. Asriel had stumbled behind them all the way to the bus stop. He plops down next to Chara. He seemed upset, too.

"What's wrong..?" Chara frowns.

"Mmph..nothing.." He shakes his head.

"Come on...you can tell me," Chara smiles weakly, trying to hide their own fear to help him.

"I'm okay, really...just..I'm tired.."

Chara rolls their eyes. "Seriously, Asriel? Don't try that with me. What's wrong."

"It's nothing," Asriel shakes his head again. "Just...leave me alone!"

Asriel huffs, crosses his arms, and looks away. Chara frowns.

"...Okay.."


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's note:**  
 **Hi! Just a reminder to please refrain from posting possible triggering messages in the comments. Someone posted a sexual assualt mention in a comment on wattpad, and that worries me a bit. Also please do not have conversations in the comments if they are not related to the story! It spams my phone. If your conversation is getting too long, please take it to a private message! Also! I do NOT ship Frans in the slightest. Don't worry, there won't be any in this fic! Thank you!**

Chara slides into their seat for first period. They twitch slightly, knowing Danny would come in any minute and sit behind them. They weren't any less terrified. Chara stares at their desk for about a minutes before Danny walks in. Their eyes dart to every single person who walks in before him. They immediately look back at their desk when Danny walks in. Danny sits down behind them. He flicks Chara in the back of the neck. Chara flinches. They grip their locket tightly in their hands for comfort. They feel the hair on the back of their neck bristle.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Chara finally picks up that Danny was talking. They had zoned out in the last few seconds and hadn't heard him talk. Chara slowly turns their head to look at him. Danny snorts.

"You look terrified," He smirks. "Well, I don't blame you. Last kid that crossed me had it so bad that he had to uh..'move away'." Danny's lips parted into a grin. Chara shudders. Danny had driven a kid to _suicide_. Chara didn't doubt that that could just as easily happen to them. Their mental state was fragile enough. They'd tried to once before. They'd _succeeded_ once before.

"Just...l-leave me alone..!" Chara stutters, trying to be brave.

Danny laughs. Chara feels sick to their stomach. He shoves them against their desk, slamming their shoulder into it.

"Pathetic," Danny spits. "Aren't you gonna fight back? You didn't have any problem when-"

"Cut it out!" Someone nearby yells at Danny. Chara was relived that at least one other person was on their side. Danny whips around to face them. She was sitting right next to him, glaring.

"What's your deal?" She hissed at Danny. "What did they ever do to you?"

Danny laughed. "Oh, you have no idea."

"Just..leave Chara alone!" She sounded even angrier now. "Stop being such a jackass."

Danny was about to retaliate before the teacher walked in. He quickly faced the front. The girl who defended Chara looks back too. Chara rubs their arm. They were glad, but they could still feel their trembling. They wanted to end this right now. They didn't have a plan, though. They couldn't just dive into this without a plan. Instead of paying attention to the lesson, Chara sorted through different methods they could use for poisoning him. By the end of class, they had finally come up with a solution.

Danny was known to take drugs. Weed, tobacco-some people even rumor that he tried LSD. Chara decided that, since this needed to be a very sweet revenge, they would poison him with buttercups. They could grind the petals to a powder and convince him it was some new drug. He would take the bait. Since buttercup is a very slow and painful death, he would be out of school while the poison takes effect. Chara had written a few notes down in their notebook so they would remember. Chara quickly walks out of class. As they expected, Danny trips them on their way out. Chara slams against the doorframe to catch themself. Danny smirks at them and walks out. As Chara staggers out of the classroom, someone taps their shoulder. They whip around to see the girl who defended them earlier.

"Hey," She waves. "Uh, Chara, right? I'm Melanie."

"Uh, hi!" Chara says, trying to sound cheerful and failing. "Thanks for, uh, sticking up for me earlier.."

"No problem!" Melanie nodded. "Danny's an ass. Surprised more people haven't called him out for his shit."

Chara nods slowly. "Yeah...he, uh, he's been giving me a lot of trouble lately.."

"So I've heard," Melanie sighs. "I honestly don't blame you for stabbing him. I mean, if you did. Seems like some wild rumor to me, but,whatever."

"Uh..yeah...haha.." Chara felt nervous now. They weren't used to pleasant conversations with strangers.

"Well, I gotta go.." Melanie qaves and walked away. "Bye!"

Chara stares at her as she goes.

Maybe not all humans were that bad.

Chara decided to start their plan that night. They had to wait until everyone was home, though. Once everyone had settled in and was doing their own thing, Chara went outside. They said they were going on a little walk. They weren't exactly lying. They just weren't telling the whole truth. Chara was relatively familiar with this area, so they knew where to find buttercups. Besides, they grew in a lot of the towns near . Even still, it took them about ten minutes of searching to find the flowers. Chara stands over them for a moment. Long-repressed memories were suddenly flooding back. They shake their head to clear them. They couldn't think about that now. They pull a small plastic bag from the drawstring bag on their back. Chara picks a few of the buttercups and puts them in their bag. They wouldn't need much, but it did take a larger amount of the flowers to kill him. Chara walks around for a little longer, making sure their walk seemed believable. Once they make it inside they rush to the bathroom. In their pocket, they held the sheet of notebook paper that had their plan on it. Chara shuts the bathroom door and lays the bag, the flowers, and their plan on the floor. They would have to grind the buttercups with their hands...

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door. Chara jumps. Before they can say anything, the door opens.

It was Asriel.

"Chara, what are you-" His eyes widen as he looks at the display Chara had out in front of them. Chara opens their mouth to explain, but before they can, Asriel picks up the paper.

Clearly written across the top was "Get rid of Danny".

"Chara...you promised me..."

 **Author's Note:**  
 **I wrote this at literally five AM so if my writing isn't the best this chapter** **you know why.**


	23. Chapter 23

"Chara...you promised me.."

Chara froze where they are. They got caught. And by Asriel, no less.

"You promised me you wouldn't go after him!" Asriel crumples the paper in his fist. " e!"

Chara shakes their head and turns to face him. "I-I can explain! He..H-He..-"

"No, Chara," Asriel takes a step back. "..I'm really disappointed in you. You promised me you wouldn't...you broke a _promise_ , Chara. I don't think I can trust you anymore..."

"I-I..!" Chara stammers. "I'm sorry...I'm really sorry..I won't do it again..I just..I.."

"No, Chara," Asriel sighs sadly. "Chara, I...I don't think..." He pauses before his next words.

"I don't think we can be friends anymore."

Chara felt like their heart was just ripped out and crushed in front of them. They slump down onto the floor. Asriel bows his head and starts walking away. Chara backs against the wall. They feel the tears coming fast. They start sobbing into their hands. They felt so stupid. They didn't even consider what would happen if they got caught.

"..What's up?" Chara heard Sans in the doorway. Chara shakes their head rapidly and curls up.

Sans looks at the floor, noticing the buttercups. "Woah-WOAH. Uh...you weren't trying to...? Were you..?"

Chara softly shakes their head. "I..I-I...!"

Sans felt...really awkward. He decided he really had no other option than to help Chara out. He kneels down next to them and sighs.

"..Kid...What's going on..?" He tries to lock eye contact and fails. "And..what's with the flowers..?"

Chara trembles. "N..No...no..! Stop trying to help me..you..you d-don't-!" Chara starts sobbing again.

"Look, Chara.." Sans sighs. "I may not be your biggest fan but I gotta help you out. What's going on? Why are you crying?"

Chara curls up tighter. "I...I..Asriel...he...I...M-Messed up and I..." Chara can't finish their sentence.

"Slow down...Asriel..?" Sans asks. "What happened with him...? You messed up? What'd you do?"

"..I'll explain." Asriel was behind Sans. His voice was emotionless. "..Come on.."

Sans sighs and stands up. He follows Asriel into another room. Asriel looks at the floor.

"...Chara broke a promise," Asriel mumbled. "They broke my trust, and I just decided to end our friendship. They've done a lot of bad stuff and...I..I guess this is the last straw.."

Sans frowns. "Really? This is your last straw? Not the murders? Not getting you killed? But a broken promise? What even was this promise?"

Asriel huffed. "Someone at school attacked me and Chara promised not to go after them...they did. That's..why they had buttercups. They were going to poison him."

"Is this the same kid that Chara stabbed?" Sans quirked an eyebrow. Asriel nodded. Sans sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Fucking Christ..that child's a mess. This might not have been a problem if violence wasn't their go-to option."

Asriel sneered. "Yeah...Sometimes I wonder why I ever tried to be nice to them. For a while I really thought they were a good person..and when Frisk brought us both back to life, I thought they had changed. Guess I was wrong. I guess they really are just a lying, cheating coward."

Now would've been the worst time for Chara to be eavesdropping. And that's exactly what happened. Chara takes a step back, feeling breathless. They rush to their room and slam the door. They feel all their anxiety and panic setting in at once. They drop violently down to the floor, feeling their breathing quicken. They start trembling and crying heavily. They feel their tears getting thicker. Chara prays it's not what they think it is.

God _dammit_.

Their tears were black. Chara starts rocking back and forth. They were not feeling mentally prepared for the flood of bad memories that was sure to come in passing seconds. Sure enough, the sickly liquid starts pouring from their mouth and into a puddle on the floor. The memories coming back from the foul taste of buttercups were infinitely worse. They wouldn't have anyone to help this time. They were entirely alone. But they were okay with that. They deserved it. Asriel said it perfectly-They were a lying, cheating coward. All they'd done their whole life was lie and hurt people. No matter how hard they tried to be a good person, they always failed. It would be so much easier if they didn't have all these people that cared about them. They had to keep pretending that they were better than they were. Chara sobs into their hands, covering them in black stains. They keep hyperventilating. The vicious cycle of crying and hyperventilating goes on for a few minutes. Chara is finally able to calm down enough. They stare at their hands, then down at rhe carpet. Both were covered in black stains. Chara sniffles. They felt mentally and physically exhausted. They didn't even have the energy to try and clean themself off. They knew Asriel would be in here soon. This was his room too, after all. Chara doesn't have enough energy to move, though. Chara decided they would just let themself be yelled at.

Sure enough, the door opened a few seconds later. It wasn't Asriel, though. It was Sans.

"Kid, what's-" He stares at them for a few seconds. "...Another panic attack..?"

Chara was trembling even heavier. "G..Go away..I know you hate me..stop...stop trying to...stop trying to be nice to me.."

Sans sighs. "Look. Whether or not I hate you..doesn't really matter. I heard what happened. You..You were going to POISON him? Chara...fucking god..do you even know how stupid of an idea that was? We could've gone to court...you or someone else could be arrested...God knows we don't have the money to bail anyone out!"

Chara was too drained from their panic attack to say anything back. They just took the scolding. They needed a goodone anyway.

"And do you know how much stress that could've put on your mother? She's already trying to work multiple jobs to keep this family up and running. Imagine how she'd feel if her own child killed someone! And-"

"Maybe she wouldn't have to work so hard if you got off your ass and got a _j o b_ , deadbeat!" Chara snaps suddenly. Too much stress was building on them. It was all about to explode. "You don't get it! You don't know what it's like. This kid is making me relive all my worst memories and darkest fears! He knows my real father. He knows my real name. Do you know how long I've worked to get that name wiped from existance?! No! You don't! You don't know anything about me! Shut the _fuck_ up!"

Chara was breathing heavily. Their outburst wasted what little energy they had left. They look to the side.

"That doesn't give you right to kill him!" Sans hissed, taking a few steps closer to Chara. "Violence isn't the only answer, you fog-minded freak! You could've told us. Or even the police. But NO! Good old Chara Dreemurr had to resort to violence! Because that's all you can seem to do properly!"

"I said shut up!" Chara screeches. "Just get out!"

A voice speaks quietly from behind Sans.

"He's right, you know."


	24. Chapter 24

**This** **Fanfiction is going to get pretty intense from now on! PLEASE, if you are triggered by mentions/implications/etc of self harm or suicide, please stop reading!**  
 **-**  
Chara looks to the doorway. Asriel stood there, glaring at Chara.

"You really don't get it, do you?Asriel pushes in front of Sans. "It's not even as much that you broke a promise. But because you decided the best way to go about this was to kill him. Really? I put a lot of trust in you. I thought you changed..that You weren't a bloodthirsty demon anymore. I guess...I guess I'm just too hopeful."

Asriel shakes his head and walks away. Chara covers their mouth with their hand and sobs. Sans sighs.

"..I...I'll give you time, I guess..." Sans walks out and shuts the door behind him.

Chara decided to sleep on the couch that night. They couldn't bear seeing Asriel. Frisk had gone out to an important ambassador meeting and wouldn't be home until late. Despite their protests, Sans begrudgingly helped Chara clean the stains from their face and hands. Now they were lying on the couch, covered in one, thin blanket and supported by a single flimsy pillow. Chara knew they wouldn't sleep, though. No way in hell. Every single self-destructive and horrible thought they had ever had was coming at them at once. They hated it. Chara scowls. They felt like this couch was...too comfortable for the position they were in. They felt awful, and they were an awful person. Why would they deserve any sort of comfort? Chara huffs. They throw the pillow on the ground next to them. Chara slides down into rhe floor. They put their head on their pillow and put the blanket over them.

"Just like the good old days.." Chara whispers through gritted teeth. They had always slept on the floor when living on the surface with their biological parents. They shut their eyes. They would at least pretend to sleep. Chara lays like that for at least two hours before they hear the front door open and close. Frisk was home. They groan in exhaustion. Frisk starts to walk upstairs, but then notices Chara.

"..Chara..?" Frisk frowns and walks over to them. "Why are you on the floor? What's going on? Stop pretending to sleep, I know you're awake."

Chara sighs and sits up. They look down. "...I...Something happened with Asriel and I. I...I was..." Chara pauses for a long moment. "I was planning to kill Danny..after promising not to...a-and...he found out..and now he hates me!" Chara buries their face in their hands, trying not to cry again.

Frisk sighs and sits next to them. They put their arm across Chara's shoulders. "Hey..Hey...calm down..breathe. I assume you already got chewed out for trying to kill him. I won't do that. I'm sure Asriel doesn't hate you, but this stuff takes time. He'll calm down eventually. You just gotta give him time."

Chara sniffles. "You don't understand...! H..He was explaining i-it to Sans...I..I listened in..apparently this...this was j-Just the last straw for him! No wonder I thought he didn't hate me after all that bad stuff I did...he was just giving me more chances...and I pushed him p..past his limit..." Chara sobs into their hands.

Frisk pulls Chara into a tight hug and whispers in their ear. "Hey...Hey..it'll be okay. Everyone gets angry sometimes...Asriel may have a right to be upset, but he can't stay mad forever. You're his best friend. He's bound to forgive you eventually. And if he doesn't...you still have me. And Mom.."

"No..but I..I.." Chara sobs again. "I know..! It's just..A...A-Asriel was..my best friend..my brother..and now he hates me. Even if he does forgive me..I..I can't live with myself. I was just barely getting by before.."

Frisk sighs. "Chara...if he really doesnt forgive you I..I promise..I'll be here for you. If no one else will I'll care for you. You're not alone, Chara...and I..I know things are hard right now and I wish they could stop. But..I understand that you're upset. I might not know exactly how you feel, but I'm here, okay..?" Frisk smiles at them.

Chara stares at Frisk for a moment, tears welling in their eyes. They hug Frisk tightly and cry into their shoulder. Frisk sighs. They stand up. Chara wraps their legs around Frisk's waist and their arms around their neck, like a child. Frisk flops back on the couch. They pull the blanket over the both of them. Frisk runs their fingers through Chara's hair. Chara sobs into Frisk's shoulder.

"Shhh.." Frisk rubs Chara's back. Chara hugs Frisk tighter. Frisk's embrace made them feel just a little better. It reminded them that there was at least one person that still cared for them.

All night, Chara listened to Frisk's soft breathing, and felt the rising and falling of their chest. Chara couldn't sleep, but Frisk at least calmed them down. Not even their kiss had done this to Chara. That night was when they truly realized that they were in love with Frisk. They were so perfect. No matter what Chara did, Frisk loved them just the same. Chara couldn't understand, but they didn't need to. Chara loved them, and that's what mattered. Chara had no idea what they did to deserve someone like Frisk. They might never know, but someone loved them. That was enough.

The next morning, Frisk wakes up to Chara happily "sleeping" on top of them. Frisk smiles at them, shifting slightly to wake them up. Chara moans a little and opens their eyes.

"Did you sleep well?" Frisk asks. "Or at all?"

Chara nods. "I slept fine. How about you?"

"I slept well," Frisk smiles. "You're surprisingly light."

Chara laughs softly. "Heh..yeah."

Chara stands up. Frisk sits up and stretches. They stand up next to Chara, then walk into the kitchen to make breakfast.

"We have some time. Want me to make you anything to eat?"


	25. Chapter 25

Chara waited at the bus stop, holding Frisk's hand. They felt more content then usual, despite still feeling awful about the Asriel situation. Asriel just ignored them all morning. He showed clear disdain at Frisk's feelings for Chara, though. The bus pulled up. Asriel rushed on before Chara and Frisk. Chara feels the anxiety and anguish they were trying to push down rise to their throat. Frisk began walking onto the bus. Chara felt like they were being dragged. Chara matches Frisk's pace, not wanting to trip. The two shuffle into a seat. Despite being with Frisk, Chara was dreading riding the bus even more than usual. They were experiencing heavy sensory overload from all the yelling. Maybe they should have asked Toriel to drive them to school..

Suddenly, Chara notices someone move in the corner of their eye. Their eyes shift to the source.

Danny had slid into the seat across from Chara and Frisk. Chara had accidentally locked eye contact with him, and he smirks.

"Just when I thought you couldn't disgust me any further!" Danny laughs. "Looks like someone's got herself a girlfriend!"

Frisk frowns. "Leave Chara alone. " They let out a low growl. Chara didn't think they'd ever seen Frisk mad before. Not mad. Not _really_ mad. Usually Chara was the one to explode after just onw comment.

"And why should I?" Danny crosses his arms. "Demon _scum_ like that shouldn't even be allowed to exist."

Chara grits their teeth. They felt too many different emotions at once. Fury, Sorrow, and everything in between. Not much longer and they would snap under all this pressure.

"Oh?" Frisk snarled. " _Chara's_ the demon? Really? Judging from how you've been acting, I can really question your definition of 'scum'."

Danny snarls. "You little-"

"Shut up!" Chara yells at Danny. They were too overwhelmed by the noise and all the emotions attacking their mind at once. "Stop it. Stop going out of your way to hurt me. Stop hurting people I care about. t!"

Multiple people nearby watch Chara's breakdown. They didn't care. Too many things were happening at once and Chara wanted nothing more than to disappear.

Danny cackled. "Ohh, so you're all big and strong now? We'll see about that."

Danny starts to lunge towards Chara, but is interrupted.

"Cut it out back there!" Finally, the bus driver had noticed Danny's behavior. "Sit back down!"

Danny growled and reluctantly sat back down. He locked eyes with Chara and glared.

"I'm not done with you yet, demon," Danny sneers. "Just you-"

"Quit it!" Frisk snaps. They wrap their arm around Chara and pull them closer.

Fortunately, the bus makes it to the school. Chara was eager to get off. They stand. As they walk out, they trip and fall into the person in front of them. No doubt that Danny had tripped them. They sheepishly apologize to the person they ran into. Frisk follows close behind Chara as they walk off of the bus. Chara keeps their arms crossed. It was unbearable to live this way. Maybe they should have thought their plan through. They couldn't do it now. Asriel would hate them even more. Chara wouldn't be able to take that. Was it even _possible_ for Asriel to hate Chara any further? They didn't want to find out.  
Asriel and Frisk head their separate ways to their first periods. Frisk hugs Chara tightly before walking away. Someone taps Chara on the shoulder as they walk, and Chara whips around in fear. It was Melanie. Thank God.

"Hey.." Melanie waves sheepishly. "Chara, right..? Do you..need someone to walk to class with you..? I figure, uh, Danny's still picking on you."

Chara shrugs softly. "I mean...that would be nice.." They mumble.

Melanie lights up. She smiles and nods, taking Chara's hand. Chara smiles softly,appreciating the gesture. While they still felt extremely apathetic and on edge, they were glad someone was helping. Melanie keeps close to Chara, making sure they didn't get hurt. As much as Chara knew that Melanie just wanted to help, they couldn't help but feel like they were being babied. It was a ridiculous thought, but it wouldn't go away. Chara keeps their mouth shut and lets Melanie walk them to class. Once they make it to the classroom, Melanie lets go of Chara's hand. Chara shuffles in, staring at the floor. They slide into their seat, unknowingly starting to fidget with their sweater. Suddenly, their seat gets shoved forward, slamming their ribcage it the desk. Chara coughs, wincing in pain. They didn't have to turn around to know who it was. They have an overwhelming urge to run out of the classroom. Their stomach was churning, and they felt like they would throw up if they stood. There was too much stress put onto them in such a short time. Asriel, Danny, Sans...it was all too much.

The teacher wasn't there yet. Without a word, Chara walks out of class.

Chara rushes to the bathroom. They splash water on their face and take deep breaths.

" _You'll be okay_ ," Chara repeats in their head.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't convince themself. There was no way they could convince themself that anything was okay. Because it _wasn't_ okay. Nothing about their situation was okay. At all. Everything was falling apart,but they would have to suck it up. Chara was not going to have Toriel take them home early again. They would pretend to stay strong.

And so they did. The whole day, Chara stayed stoic. They acknowledged when people talked to them, but they were emotionless. They just had to get through the day. They couldn't focus on anything else.

Finally, they had made it home. Chara huffs and sits on the couch, exhausted from phoning it in. Frisk sits next to them.

"Hey," They smile. "So...I have a meeting today. I'll be with some humans in charge or management of the town...and a few monsters. Asgore will be there. I was thinking..if you wanted to come, I wouldn't mind."

Chara thinks it over. "I don't know..."

"Please..?" Frisk looks Chara I'm the eye. "It'd be better with you there...and You need to get put of the house...do something to get your mind off all this. Maybe we could ask mom to take us out to eat afterwards or something?"

Chara just couldn't refuse those eyes. "...Okay."


End file.
